


When Someone Loves You

by raikaya (rqyh)



Series: Youth Part 0 [4]
Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Coming of Age, Episodic Chapters, Extension of "I just do", F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Growing Up, High School AU, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Previous Work(s), Updates every Saturday 9 AM KST (starting from ch 21), When You Love Someone AU, Youth, depends on the chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2019-07-14 16:22:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 158,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16044110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rqyh/pseuds/raikaya
Summary: The days that make up the life of Younghyun, Dowoon, their friends, family, and maybe just a little bit more than that.





	1. First date

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO AAAAAAA IT'S FINALLY HERE!!
> 
> So, if you don't know, this fic here is one I've been teasing for about two months now. It is the extension to the universe of ["I just do"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14073276) which is a fic based off of Day6's [high](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RJWqIEo_Tc) [school](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwLMA5XYnKI) trilogy, mainly the MV of [When You Love Someone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWQ1xOfUNYQ). (If you haven't read that fic yet, I suggest that you do because there are lots of things in this fic that reference that one.) 
> 
> "When Someone Loves You" is basically a day-in-the-life shenanigans and how each of the characters' stories progressed from the events of "I just do". Aaaand maybe something a bit more than that hehehe.
> 
> Now, let's begin!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jieun found out that even after two weeks of dating, Younghyun and Dowoon have never gone on an actual date.

“Why are there so many people,” Younghyun says, squinting his eyes at everyone who comes even a little close.

               “There's always a lot of people in the amusement park during the weekend,” Dowoon says.

               “Ew.”

               “I know.”

               They're walking side-by-side, having just entered the amusement park. As Younghyun said, there are a lot of people around: families and their kids, groups of friends, and couples presumably on dates, like the two of them. Though, to be honest, the both of them are rather indifferent about the whole thing.

               Jieun had been the one to make them go on the date. When she asked where they had their first date and Younghyun answered that they haven’t gone on one yet, she absolutely flipped her ship.

               (Literally. They were working on an arts and crafts project. Jieun looked like she couldn't care less, though.)

               “You two have been together for two weeks now and you haven’t gone on a date?” she almost yelled, livid.

               “I mean, yeah?” Younghyun said, blinking at her. “Why? Is there something wrong?”

               “Yes, there’s something wrong!” Jieun said, putting her hands up. “You two are _dating_ ; you'd think you'd have gone on at least _one_ date, don't you think?”

               “I don’t know; I guess we've just never thought about that?” Younghyun scratched his neck, turning to Dowoon, who was completely focused on his home model. It was an exact copy of his own house; it even had that umbrella table on the balcony. “We’re always hanging out all the time, so I guess there's never been a need?

               “I mean, I always walk Dowoon to school every morning. And we're seated next to each other so it's not like I don't see him often. And don’t tell Mr. Kwon but we eat together at the rooftop during lunch time. And after school, I always walk him home.”

               “You also stay over for a tutoring session every now and then,” Dowoon added, gluing a door cut-out with precision.

               “Right?” Younghyun said, gesturing with an agreeing hand. “And in the weekends, we always visit each other, so there's really no need to go somewhere to hang out since we're always together anyway.”

               Jieun ran a hand down her face.

               “We get it; you’re married. But even married couples need to go out every now and then,” she said, crossing her arms. “Don't you want to make memories with each other?”

               Younghyun turned to Dowoon, who also seemed to have the same idea.

               “I mean…” Younghyun started.

               “Well, you're not wrong,” Dowoon said.

               Jieun sighed.

               “Saturday,” she said, firmly. “At the amusement park. Two o’clock. You two are having a date and you're gonna love it.

               “Now, please help me put my ship back together,” she added, and they stared at the pile of mess on the classroom floor.

                “To be honest, Younghyun,” Dowoon is saying, back in the present, as they pass by a rollercoaster ride, “I’m really not into amusement parks that much.”

               “Oh? Why?” he asks. Dowoon shrugs.

               “I just never really found it fun, even as a kid. People were just so noisy. Mother and Father were actually more into it than me. I kind of joined along for their sake, I think.” Dowoon lets out a tiny breath of laughter. “We used to go every year, but well… we stopped. You know why. But it’s fine; it’s all good. Looking back on it now, it was kind of fun. Maybe a little.”

               Younghyun smiles a little, bumping into Dowoon just slightly.

               “I bet it was,” he says. “Though, I can't really say since I've never been to an amusement park before.”

               “Really?” Dowoon asks, turning to him.

               “Yeah, really. We used to be _really_ tight on money, so things like this were out of the question.” He looks around and sees one of the rides where people are seated on these chairs hung by long chains and spun around by a big contraption in the middle. Younghyun isn't sure what it’s called. “Over time, the interest just kind of faded away. There were more important things to think about. Besides, the arcade is a lot cheaper.”

               Younghyun shrugs, keeping a smile on his face. Well, whatever. Jieun already paid for their tickets, so there really isn't any turning back—

               Younghyun feels someone’s pulling at his pinky, and he turns to see Dowoon hooking his pinky around Younghyun’s, gripping tight.

               “Mother’s favorite is the rollercoaster,” he timidly says, pointing a finger at the ride in the distance. “We should try it. You might like it, too.”

               A smile finds its way up Younghyun’s face and he wraps his pinky around Dowoon’s a little tighter.

               “If it's with you, definitely,” Younghyun says, smiling.

               At that, Dowoon blushes bright red, caught off-guard, and immediately unlinks their pinkies, stomping away and moving as far from Younghyun as possible.

               Younghyun laughs and follows him, calling out, “Come on, Dowoon! Just let me love you!”

               “I’m breaking up with you!” Dowoon yells back over his shoulder, ears an angry red.

               Younghyun just laughs, feeling elated. Yeah, with Dowoon, anything is perfect.

 

(“Ji, seriously, why on earth did you bring me along?”

               (“Who else is going to hold my things for me while I spy to make sure these two are having the best date of their entire lives?”

               (“Ji, I’m a freaking noodle compared to you. You can carry a carton of oranges to school and not break a sweat.”

               (“Thanks for the acknowledgme—oh, _shoot_ , _shoot_ —”

               (“What? What?”

               (“ _Just hide, you limp noodle_!”

               (“Ow! Why’d you hit me?”

               (“ _Shh_!”)

 

Dowoon stares deadpan at the two people trying their best to hide behind a pillar that can obviously only hide one. Jaehyung trips, revealing himself for a short while before quickly going back behind the pillar. Are they serious.

               “What are you looking at?” Younghyun asks, leaning into his space and trying to see where Dowoon is looking.

               “You don't see them,” Dowoon asks, though it sounds more like a statement.

               “See who?” Younghyun squints. “What am I supposed to be looking at? There's nothing but a pillar.”

               Dowoon looks back and sees Jaehyung’s side shakily peek out the edge of the pillar, shoes a bright neon blue. Jieun is next to him, shoulder bag sticking out from the side as well, long hair swaying in the wind. He sees her smack Jaehyung somewhere on the shoulder, probably berating him or something. They both have their backs to Dowoon and Younghyun.

               Dowoon turns to look at Younghyun and the boy is still squinting. Dowoon isn't even sure if he's looking at the same pillar.

               “You're right; I must be seeing things,” Dowoon says sarcastically before turning back to the direction of the roller coaster.

               They're finally almost to the front of the line, having waited long enough. There really is a lot of people today, more than usual, though it probably had something to do with the discount posted at the front of the gate.

               Younghyun doesn't seem to mind the wait much, though. He'd been looking around the amusement park since the moment they got here, like a kid taking in new surroundings. It wasn't like he was completely in awe of the place—just a little curious, maybe wondering if the place really is worth all the hype.

               For Dowoon, the place isn't really all that special. I mean, contraptions that fling screaming people in the air? Doesn't really sound appealing. Or safe.

               But he’s curious about Younghyun. Would he like it, or would he hate it? Dowoon wants to know. He wants to know many things about Younghyun, really. He wants to know everything.

               “Oh, Dowoon, it's our turn,” Younghyun says, and Dowoon snaps out of it. “Let's get on.”

               They sit on the ride with some other passengers, seated at the very back of the rollercoaster. Dowoon is hit with a sense of familiarity, having gone here one too many times. He remembers how Father used to laugh at Mother for always being afraid every single time they went on, even though they both knew that she would always end up being the loudest one screaming out of all of them. The memory puts a tiny smile on Dowoon’s face.

               He turns to Younghyun and sees the boy turning his head around, looking at his surroundings with curious eyes, and the sight makes him laugh a little. He really is like a kid.

               “This is safe, right?” Younghyun asks, turning to him, and Dowoon drops his smile, forcing it to a thin line.

               “Yeah,” he answers, trying to not make it seem like he was smiling at Younghyun secretly. “It might not seem like it, but this ride is very safe. The staff double-check it every few hours or so to make sure. As far as I heard, there haven’t been any accidents yet.”

               “I see.” Younghyun repeatedly nods, poking his tongue at the side of his cheek. He shakes his right leg unconsciously. “Good. That’s good. That’s good to hear. Mm-hm.”

               Dowoon looks at him for a while.

               “Younghyun, are you nervous?” he asks, leaning forward a little.

               “No. No, I’m not nervous,” he says quickly, nervous. “I’m not—don’t look at me like that—I’m not nervous at all. I don’t know what ‘nervous’ means. What does it mean? What _is_ ‘nervous’? Nope. Nope, I’m not nervous. Can’t you see? I am perfectly fi—”

               The ride starts moving up and Younghyun muffles his screams, keeping his back glued to the back of the seat and gripping the lapbar so tightly that Dowoon is fairly certain it’s going to break. So much for ‘not nervous’.

               “Mom, I love you so much,” Younghyun whispers under his breath. “I’m sorry, Dad, but Mom was always my favorite. Please don’t curse me.”

               Dowoon stares at him for a few moments, the roller coaster ride already at the top, just waiting to fall down.

               “Hey, Younghyun,” he says, leaning just a little closer.

               “Hm?” he whimpers, turning to him with fear in his eyes.

               “If you survive this,” he starts, “I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek.”

               Younghyun widens his eyes just as the roller coaster plummets down, sending all passengers down with it.

               “I HATE MY LIFE BUT I LOVE DOWOON SO MUUUUCH!” Younghyun screams beside him, actually putting his hands up and sounding like he’s sobbing.

               Dowoon lets out a hearty laugh, feeling the butterflies swarm in his stomach, both because of the rollercoaster and something else.

 

Younghyun crumbles down on the ground the moment his legs leave the rollercoaster, heart still shaking even after the ride is over, legs having already given out and up.

               “That was the absolute worst thing that happened in my entire seventeen-year life,” he wheezes, needing to hold onto a pillar.

               He hears something like someone’s phone snapping a picture and he looks up to see a pair of strangers hastily speed-walk away from the area. Funny. That sounded just like Jieun’s phone, but what would she be doing here?

               “Younghyun, you okay?” Dowoon asks, crouching on the ground in front of him, tilting his head a little to get a good look at his face.

               “Yeah, I’m fine,” he assures him, though he still needs to hold onto the pillar. “I have no idea how your mom can handle this. She’s a strong woman. Very, very strong.”

               Dowoon lets out a small laugh, and Younghyun does, too. Man, his smile just makes everything worth it, doesn’t it?

               Younghyun stands up, though still a bit shaky, and puts his hands on his hips, stretching his back.

               “So, where to next? That weird octopus-looking thing that flings everyone around? The ride that looks like a log for some reason? That cotton candy stand?”

               “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Dowoon asks, standing up as well and leaning on the pillar.            

               Younghyun stares back, trying to recall anything he might’ve forgotten.

               “… The merry-go-round?” he tries, pointing a finger-gun at Dowoon with one hand.

               Dowoon just shakes his head before walking past him. He follows, asking whatever the hell it is that he forgot, but all Dowoon says is, “You’re lucky I like you, Younghyun. Seriously.”

               Well. He’s not wrong.

 

The next few hours are spent peacefully with no problems, except maybe the fact that Jieun and Jaehyung are still following them around. Dowoon has no idea why Younghyun still hasn’t caught on.

               The boy is surprisingly a scaredy-cat, screaming (in fear, not enjoyment) at almost every ride they went on. He had screamed on the swing boat, on the drop tower, on the chair swing ride (that was the one Younghyun had unofficially named “Octopus of Death”), on the log flume, on the booster (he had actually passed out on that one), and on the reverse bungee. Especially on the reverse bungee.

               Younghyun had given up on convincing Dowoon that he was completely fine with all of this, and so just settled for crumbling onto the ground every single time they left a ride, always taking at least two minutes to catch his breath. Dowoon’s pretty sure the staff are tired of him at this point. He’s very much sure Jieun and Jaehyung already are.

               Though, Dowoon would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little worried about him. At one point, Younghyun actually looked as white as a ghost—as in _paper-sheet_ white, and Dowoon had to keep his promise of kissing him on the cheek just to bring the red back in his skin (“ _That’s_ what I was forgetting? Dowoon, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”).

               But despite all his screams and the almost-peeing-his-pants events, Younghyun actually looked like he was having fun, laughing after he finally caught his breath, skipping his steps in the direction of the next ride, humming to himself, “Let’s see if the next one is less scary,” (it wasn’t, and it never would be, but at least Younghyun maintained the positivity.) And he always asked Dowoon if he had fun, always keeping a genuine grin on his face, and Dowoon always nodded, always needing to hold back a “because you’re here”.

               (He hates that he caught on Younghyun’s cheesiness. He hates it so much.)

               Normally, Dowoon wouldn’t ever give a second thought to saying no to even the idea of going back here another time, but if Younghyun comes with him, he’d probably consider a yes.

               (So much.)

               “Heyyy, I’m back,” Younghyun sing-songs right next to his ear, leaning his chin over Dowoon’s shoulder. “Miss me?”

               “No,” Dowoon lies, turning to look at him from where he’s sitting. _God, he’s close._ “What took you so long?”

               “Dude at the stall had to run to refill the ice cream,” he answers, moving away and walking over to the chair across Dowoon. Finally, he can breathe again. “They were almost out of the banana slices, too. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get the one you wanted.”

               He hands over a crepe from across the table, smiling at Dowoon.

               “One sweet thing for another sweet thing,” he says, keeping his grin.

               Dowoon rolls his eyes, pretending his heart didn’t flutter at that.

               “There _is_ such a thing as ‘too sweet’, you know,” he says, accepting the crepe. He looks at it for a moment: it’s completely packed with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, banana slices, sprinkles, caramel stripes, and wafer sticks at the side. It’s breathtaking; Dowoon would’ve fallen in love with it if he wasn’t already in love with— “You can get sick from too much sugar.”

               “Yeah—”

               “Don’t.”

               “ _Love_ sick,” Younghyun continues anyway, smiling at Dowoon the way he always does.

               “You can’t get lovesick if you’re always around the person you lo—like, idiot,” Dowoon mutters under his breath.

               “What was that?”

               “Nothing.”

               Younghyun just smiles at him again before turning to his own crepe, which is a chocolate-flavored one, complete with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate stripes, strawberries, another pair of wafer stickers, and whipped cream, just like Dowoon is for Younghyun.

               (So, _so_ much.)

               “Where should we go next?” Younghyun asks, digging into his crepe with some difficulty. He looks like he’s considering putting the whole thing in his mouth. Dowoon really hopes he doesn’t.

               “Well, we’ve already gone on almost all the scary rides,” Dowoon says, looking around and absentmindedly digging into his crepe as well. (The trick is to know where to bite, Younghyun. The trick is to know where to bite.) “And to be honest, the bumper cars and the tea cups aren’t my style.”

               “So, you’re saying the tea cups aren’t your cup of te—”

               Dowoon kicks Younghyun under the table and almost makes him drop his crepe.

               “Come on, that was a good one!” Younghyun protests, clutching onto his crepe like it’s his baby.

               “I know; that’s why I hate it,” Dowoon says, ignoring the blush on his cheeks. “Anyway, the only ones left are the Tunnel of Love—no, we are not going on that. I already know you’re looking at me like the way you always do when you want something; my answer is _no_ —anyway, the haunted house, the escape room game, and the Ferris wheel.”

               He turns to see Younghyun mulling over it, eyes trained down on his hardly-dented crepe.

               “What’s your favorite?” he asks, looking up.

               “My favorite?” Dowoon bites down on his ice cream; Younghyun grimaces, looking pained.

               “Yeah, your favorite attraction; you’ve got to have one, right?” he says. “Did we already go on it?”

               Dowoon’s favorite attraction…

               He looks up at the boy in front of him, who looks back in curiosity, unaware of the chocolate stuck at the side of his jaw. Dowoon keeps looking and Younghyun tilts his head, confused, before giving him an unsure smile, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.

               Dowoon looks away, ears burning.

               “I don’t have one,” he says, chomping down on his crepe and trying to finish it quickly to cool himself down.

               “Woah, woah, slow down,” Younghyun says, sounding mildly concerned. “You’re gonna choke.”

               Dowoon ignores him, swallowing down his last bites. He does choke a little bit, coughing just as so, and Younghyun hands him a water bottle from his bag, which he downs just as quickly.

               “You okay?” Younghyun asks when he’s finished, a worried furrow in his eyebrows.

               “With you, I am,” Dowoon says before standing up, ears burning once again. He doesn’t check what kind of expression Younghyun made, already walking away. “Let’s go to the next one.”

 

Younghyun stares into the floating brain and eye balls swimming in the glass container, drowned in some gooey-looking liquid. It’s like they’re staring into his soul. Like they know him, or something.

               “Do you think they can read my thoughts?” he asks, completely serious.

               “Younghyun, seriously, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Dowoon says, standing next to him.

               It’s been only a few minutes since they entered the Haunted House, which is designed to look like a haunted science facility, complete with creepy anatomy models, specimens of some weird-looking reptiles and human body parts, and fake blood splattered across the dirty white tiles. Younghyun had to finish his chocolate crepe before they could go in, Dowoon helping a little (“Don’t bite there; you’re going to make everything spill ou—there, now, it’s dripping everywhere. Way to go, like of my life.”).

               “Do you think these are actually real?” Younghyun asks, still staring into the big cylindrical containers.

               “Of course not. These are all fake. I don’t think the amusement park is even authorized to do that sort of thing.”

               “Aw.”

               Younghyun straightens his back, shrugging at the display and waving goodbye a little, before walking forward, grabbing Dowoon’s hand.

               “They did a really good job with the place, though,” Younghyun says, looking around. The fluorescent lights are even blinking, giving the whole place an eerie feel. Even the fake blood looks like it’s been staining the walls for years. There are even dead rats on the floor. “The attention to detail is amazing.”

               Dowoon doesn’t say anything for a while, and Younghyun turns to him. He’s looking at Younghyun weirdly.

               “What?” he asks. Then he remembers something. “Oh, am I holding your hand _again_?” He looks—yep, he is, fingers linked and all that jazz. “God, why don’t I ever notice when I’ve grabbed your hand?”

               “You tell me,” Dowoon says, breathing a laugh before shaking his head, gripping tighter. “Anyway, no, that’s not it.”

               “Oh, it’s not?”

               “I just thought you’d be more scared.” Dowoon shrugs, looking around as well. There’s a message on the wall reading _YOU’LL NEVER ESCAPE_ literally just a few meters before the exit. “You literally screamed at every ride we went on. It’s a miracle your voice hasn’t given out.”

               Younghyun glances to the side, keeping down the itchy cough that’s been coming up his throat for a while now.

               “Haha, yeah, same. Anyway, um, it’s just that I never really believed in ghosts and all that,” he says. “I mean, isn’t it scarier to bet your whole life on a machine that literally flings you across the galaxies and back, with no real sign that you are not in any danger save for the announcements of a couple strangers who are probably hiding more than you think?”

               “Creative and elaborate, but I can see your point.”

               “Haunted houses just aren’t scary to me.” Someone screams to his right and he turns to see a bloody silhouette get murdered behind the glass pane to his right. He waves at the figure before continuing, “I mean, we all know this is staged and fake. Creepy at most, but not scary. I can’t imagine anyone actually believing all of this is real and getting scared.”

               As if on cue, two voices suddenly scream behind them, shrieking and yelping, the sound echoing off the tiles.

               “AHH WHY ARE THERE SO MANY EYES?”

               “SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP THEY CAN HEAR US SHUT UP!”

               Younghyun furrows his eyebrows. The shrill, high-pitched shriek from before sounded a lot like Jaehyung, but that wouldn’t make any sense.

               “Is that the pair behind us who were next in line?” Younghyun asks, looking back and seeing nothing but the end of the hallway, though the screams are still ever-present.

               “Yes. Yes, it is,” Dowoon answers, and for some reason, there’s a devious smile on his face.

               “Hope they’re okay,” Younghyun says.

               “They will be,” Dowoon says simply, turning back to the front and swinging their linked hands together, a new skip in his step.

 

They sit, side-by-side, their car on the Ferris wheel already on the one-o-clock mark. The day is almost over, and Dowoon can see that by how the sky is turning into a pretty pink and orange gradient, the sun dipping down, slowly, slowly, slowly. The escape room game was already closed by the time they left the haunted house, so this was all that was left.

               “It was nice today, wasn’t it?” Younghyun asks, turning to Dowoon, a smile on his face.

               Dowoon nods a little, their hands still linked even after they left the haunted house.

               To be honest, Dowoon wasn’t really expecting much to come out from today. And he had been right, really. Not much actually happened. Younghyun screamed, Dowoon had the best crepe ever, Jieun and Jaehyung regretted ever following them to the haunted house (they had left the amusement park already, apparently too worn out to follow them on the Ferris wheel), and now they’re seated on a car high up in the clouds, the view below a beautiful picture of the city. It’s been peaceful, not much drama, not much to worry about.

               Yeah, not much really happened, huh.

               “What is it?” Younghyun asks, and when Dowoon looks at him, he knows he’d accidentally revealed something on his face. Like he always does. And Younghyun, being the boy he is, always reads him like an open book.

               “Nothing,” he says. “I just… I just feel like something more could’ve happened today. I don’t know. It’s—it’s our first date, right? Shouldn’t something have happened? Shouldn’t there have been—I don’t know—a point to all this?”

               Younghyun hums, mulling over the thought.

               “What kind of point were you thinking about?” he asks.

               “I don’t know. Maybe a realization. Maybe an epiphany. Maybe something… _big_ that will stay with us forever—I don’t know.”

               Dowoon purses his lips, looking down. This first date didn’t make Dowoon start to like the amusement park; he feels just the same as he did about it before they went. Younghyun got over his fear of scary rides quickly (well, at least until the next one) and acted the way he always does, calm and dumb and funny and kind. And Jieun and Jaehyung didn’t even cause that much trouble, leaving Younghyun and Dowoon to their own devices without even lifting a finger to change a thing.

               “I just feel like today went a little too smoothly,” Dowoon finally says. “Like we forgot to do something. Or that there’s something we haven’t ticked off on the checklist, or whatever. Like it’s just another one of our regular days, except in an amusement park.”

               Younghyun doesn’t say anything for a while, and Dowoon knows he’s looking at him. He always does. Even when Dowoon doesn’t know.

               “But it was still nice, though, right?” he asks. “Nothing big happened, but it was still nice?”

               Dowoon looks at him, and sees that same beautiful, unbothered smile on that same beautiful face. Younghyun’s always smiling. Younghyun always smiles. Younghyun always smiles at him.

               “Yeah,” Dowoon says, smiling, too. He leans his head on Younghyun’s shoulder, the Ferris wheel striking midnight. “Today was really, really nice.”

               Maybe they didn’t need something special to happen today. Maybe mundane is okay. Just a simple, peaceful day about which they’ll probably forget whatever actually happened, but still talk as if they’ll remember everything.

               Dowoon keeps his head on Younghyun’s shoulder, picturing himself giving Younghyun a kiss on the top of the Ferris wheel, but decides he doesn’t need it. Maybe another day. Maybe on a second date.

               The car descends, and they reach the ground, neither of them having looked down to see the view from the top, neither of them needing it.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first date always has to be in an amusement park, doesn't it
> 
> AHSJSHSKSJSJS I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO FINALLY POST THIS!!! IVE BEEN WAITING FOR FOREVER!!!! i hope its been worth the wait :')
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • the sequencing of this chapter is actually close to my haikyuu!! yakulev fic ["Ferris Wheel"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7749109), which (suprise surprise) is also a First Date fic
> 
> Thank you for reading this tiny thing of mine and i hope you a wonderful day <33
> 
> shout-out to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	2. What happened after dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Younghyun and Dowoon retell what exactly happened after they kissed for the first time in the park.

Younghyun, Jieun, and Dowoon sit by their usual place in Café Noona’s Noona Café (none of them actually bothered to check what the actual name of the café is) as Jaehyung nervously stands at the very back of the line, which is actually rather long since it's the weekend.

               “ _How_ long has he had a crush on Café Noona?” Dowoon asks Jieun, who's staring at her best friend with her knuckles pushing up her cheek.

               “One month, two weeks, three days, and…” Jieun looks at her watch. “Fifty-two seconds.”

               “I was hoping it’d be four.”

               Jieun sighs, watching Café Noona prepare a drink for a customer.

               “We’ve gone here five times already and there's still no luck,” she says. “I wish I could just force those two together so they could finally talk but Jae won't let me interfere because he's ‘trying to be independent’, or whatever.”

               “I think he's showing some progress,” Dowoon says.

               The line moves forward and Jaehyung visibly panics, looking around him, not knowing what to do, even though there are still around five people before he can actually get to the cashier.

               “Or maybe not.”

               “I just wish we could speed up the process already and see my favorite best friend finally get the love he deserves.” Jieun sighs again. “Maybe if we somehow made a way for them to end up in the same room, alone—” Jieun sits up suddenly. “Actually—”

               “Jieun, no,” Dowoon says, lightly slapping her arm.

               She groans out loud in defeat, putting her entire weight on the table.

               “Why is love so _difficult_ ,” she drawls out, sounding pained.

               “Well, every story is different, so you can't really say love as whole is difficult,” Dowoon says. “I think it just depends on how much you're willing to spend every second of your life doting on someone who's made your life worth living, or at least a lot more colorful than before. It’s not as if you start living for that one special person, but you start living _because_ of them, _because_ they make you so happy, and _because_ you want them to feel the same. And maybe things aren't always smooth-sailing and maybe your mother comes home after being out of your life for so long and everything is just chaos, but because you realized that life is now beautiful because of the beauty they've shown you, you can overcome anything, forgive anyone, and find lo— _like_ in them and yourself. It doesn't matter if things don't start out the way you want them; what matters is that they did.”

               Jieun looks up at Dowoon, face planted on the table.

               “You sound like you've been married twice,” she points out.

               Dowoon’s ears visibly turn red at that, though he tries his best not to show it.

               “I just… have a lot of thoughts… when it comes to that sort of thing,” Dowoon says, looking away, trying to act casual about it.

               “Sometimes I don't know which one of you is more in love with the other.”

               Jieun turns to Younghyun, who's sitting rather closely to Dowoon and scrolling down the screen of his phone with his right hand, looking extremely immersed in whatever he's reading.

               “Hey, Younghyun,” she calls.

               He doesn't reply.

               “Younghyun. Kang Younghyun. Mr. Angst-is-My-Middle-Name. Misunderstood student of Class 1. Ex-cashier at Mr. Butthole’s convenience store.”

               He still doesn't reply. Jieun sighs.

               “Yoon Dowoon.”

               “What? Why are we talking about Dowoon?” Younghyun looks up from his phone, glancing at the other two.

               Jieun looks at Dowoon, deadpan. “Dude.”

               “I’m sorry.”

               “Sorry—what were we talking about?” Younghyun asks, putting his phone back in his pocket.

               “Jieun was planning on doing something to force Jaehyung and Café Noona to be alone together in a room.”

               “Oh, what did you have in mind?” Younghyun asks, intrigued.

               “Younghyun, no,” Dowoon says, loudly slapping him on the arm.

               “Ow! Why do you keep hitting me?”

               “It’s a reflex against idiocy.”

               “Why does being dumb have to be so painful?” Younghyun mumbles, rubbing at his arm with his right hand, pouting.

               Dowoon looks at him for a while, watching him rub at his arm.

               Then, he places one (1) kiss on it.

               “There,” Dowoon says, ears burning. “Now it's better.”

               A red color starts seeping into Younghyun’s neck as well, and he looks like he either wants to hide in a bush or return Dowoon’s kiss with one on the lips.

               “Really,” Jieun says. “Right in front of my non-existent salad.”

               Dowoon turns to her, embarrassed. “Sorry.”

               Younghyun looks sheepish, too. “It just happens.”

               Jieun hums in thought, finally removing her face from the table and leaning on it with her elbows, eyeing the two of them with furrowed eyebrows.

               “How did you two end up together again?” she asks.

               “Suddenly?” Younghyun asks and Jieun nods, completely serious. “Um, well, like we told you before, Dowoon’s mom invited my family to dinner and after we ate, they sent us out to buy some groceries, for some reason.” Younghyun furrows his eyebrows. “I am still convinced that they wanted to talk about something behind our backs, but I have no idea what it could be.”

               Dowoon glances away to his left, scratching at his jaw with his left hand.

               “Anyway,” Younghyun continues, “we bought the stuff and just walked around the neighborhood. We ended up in a children's park and sat on the swing and talked for a while. And then, I told him I liked him and he kissed me and now we're together.”

               “You know, he didn't even realize he confessed to me.” Dowoon rolls his eyes, looking bitter. “He thought he was telling me how much he likes me as a _friend_.”

               “Come on, I’ve never liked anyone before you—how was I supposed to know that I liked you in a romantic way?”

               “How is, ‘Every time I look at you my heart suddenly thinks I’m running a marathon,’ platonic in any way?”

               “I’m dumb and dense; I’m sorry!”

               “But what happened after?” Jieun asks, and the two of them turn to her.

               “After?” Younghyun repeats.

               “Yeah, after the kiss,” Jieun says. “What did you two do after?”

               They look at each other, blinking a little. Then Dowoon turns to her.

               “Well…”

 

Dowoon pulled away slowly, the hand gripping onto Younghyun’s shirt loosening just a tad bit. Slowly, he opened his eyes, but the stars were still there, right in front of him, in Younghyun’s eyes, pink stardust powdered on his cheeks.

               “Dowoon,” Younghyun started, voice incredibly soft, and if the world around them weren't silent, he'd never have heard it.

               At that moment, what Dowoon just did finally settled into his mind, realizing that he had just kissed Younghyun, realizing that he was the one who made the first move, realizing that and feeling hot, hot lava running through his veins.

               “Let’s get home; our parents are waiting for us,” Dowoon hastily said, grabbing the plastic bag and Younghyun’s hand, pulling him away from the swing set so quickly that the latter almost wasn't able to grab his own plastic bag.

               Dowoon’s face was burning and so was every other part of his body. His mind kept replaying that kiss over and over and over again, and his heart was running so fast that it seemed like his legs were moving just as so. And he was holding Younghyun’s hand. He was holding Younghyun’s hand and gripping it so tightly and he was _freaking out, freaking out, freaking out_.

               He just kept walking towards the direction of the house, face warm despite the cold night. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do—or what he should be doing. He just kissed Younghyun for the first time and _oh, dear god, how was he going to face him_?

               “Dowoon! W-wait!” Younghyun suddenly called out.

               Dowoon bit his lip and kept walking. He couldn’t face him. Not now. Not yet. Oh, dear _god_ , why was he like this?

               “Wh-why did you kiss me?” Younghyun asked, sounding breathy. “Wh-what was that for?”

               “Are you seriously asking me that after you confessed to me?” Dowoon almost yelled behind his shoulder.

               “Confessed to you? What do you mean?”

               At that, Dowoon finally stopped in his tracks, looking back at the boy, incredulous. Younghyun stopped abruptly, too, staring at Dowoon with wide eyes.

               “You literally just told me you liked me,” Dowoon said. “Like five minutes ago.”

               Younghyun blinked his eyes, lips parted. “So _that's_ what a confession is like?”

 _This boy_. “How socially-inept can you get?”

               “I don't know! I thought I was telling you I liked you in a friend way. I-I didn't realize until now that I’m…” Younghyun blushed even harder. “That I’m in love with you.”

               You know that thing when a kettle of water releases a lot of steam because of how hot it got? That was what Dowoon felt at that exact same moment.

               “Whatever!” Dowoon yelled, feeling like a furnace and pulling Younghyun away, not caring if the boy tripped along the way.

 

“Oh my god,” Jieun says, cupping her cheeks. “You two are so cute.”

               “O-only a little,” Dowoon mumbles, pushing his burning cheek up with his left knuckle and looking to the side.

               “I had no idea you were freaking out when you were pulling me to your house,” Younghyun says, looking at him in awe. “You were so quiet. You never even replied whenever I tried talking to you.”

               “Huh?” Dowoon says, turning to him. “But you only spoke after a while, though.”

               “No, I was trying to talk to you the moment you pulled me from the swing,” Younghyun says.

               Dowoon blinks.

               “Huh?”

 

“Dowoon,” Younghyun started, voice incredibly soft, and if the world around them weren't silent, the boy in front of him would have probably never heard it.

               Dowoon’s eyes suddenly grew wide, as if Younghyun’s voice put him back to reality. He let go of Younghyun’s shirt and started panicking, looking anything but Younghyun, before grabbing his plastic bag and Younghyun’s hand.

               “L-let’s g-get home; o-our parents are waiting for u-us,” he stuttered as he pulled Younghyun away from the swing set with a strength that Younghyun didn't know he was capable of. He almost wasn't able to grab his plastic bag.

               “W-wait, Dowoon?” Younghyun called out, trying his best to keep up with Dowoon’s speed but almost tripping every now and then. “Dowoon, wait!”

               But the boy didn't respond and just kept pulling Younghyun, back facing him. His ears and neck were red, and so were Younghyun’s cheeks.

               “D-Dowoon, wait! S-stop for a moment?”

               He kept calling out to him, but the boy kept stomping away. Younghyun’s mind was a frenzy, going back to that kiss and how Dowoon had leaned in so quickly that Younghyun didn't even realize his lips were touching his. How he had closed his eyes as well, feeling as if this was all he needed. And how Dowoon pulled away and looked like a beautiful garden of flowers with petals of every color.

               Wait, why did Dowoon kiss him in the first place? Was he trying to tell Younghyun he liked him back in a romantic way or a platonic way? Platonic kissing was a thing, right? Though Younghyun now (now) knew that he liked Dowoon in a romantic way, maybe Dowoon interpreted that differently.

               Which, again, begged the question:

               “Wh-why did you kiss me?” Younghyun asked, breathy from all this non-stop speed walking. “Wh-what was that for? Because—”

               “Are you seriously asking me that after you confessed to me?” Dowoon yelled behind his shoulder.

               “Confessed to you?” _I didn’t do anything wrong. Wait—did I?_ “What do you mean?”

               Dowoon suddenly stopped in his tracks and Younghyun almost bumped into him. The boy turned around slowly, cheeks painted red and eyes painted with, “Are you serious?”

               “You literally just told me you liked me,” Dowoon said, face growing redder with every second. “Like five minutes ago.”

               Younghyun blinked his eyes, lips parted, still confused. Then he realized, _Oh, he meant like a drama confession? That was a confession?_

                “So _that's_ what a confession is like,” he said, mostly to himself, though it sounded more like a question than a realization.

               “How socially-inept can you get?”

               “I don't know! I thought I was telling you I liked you in a friend way. I-I didn't realize until now that I’m…” Younghyun felt a wave of warmth come over him, the realization finally, finally _really_ settling in, in its true form.

               “That I’m in love with you,” Younghyun finished, looking directly at Dowoon, looking at him and realizing exactly how true it was.

               Dowoon’s eyes grew even wider than before, his skin turning even redder than before, the hand gripping his gripping tighter and tighter.

               “W-we—I-I—I d-d—That’s n—I g—If you—I me—I-I—Y-y-y—Me, t—N-n—Sud—Wh-what kind o—I mea—I-I-I-I-I—”

               Dowoon spluttered for a good minute before turning away and yanking Younghyun, almost making him trip over his legs.

               “Wh-wh-whatever!” Dowoon yelled over his shoulder, stomping away even faster than before. And although, Younghyun did actually trip, many, many times, Dowoon was holding his hand so he really couldn’t care less.

              

“I was caught off-guard; I’m not usually like that,” Dowoon defends himself, growing redder.

               “I know you’re not,” Younghyun laughs, leaning on his right elbow and staring at him. “But I like it when you get embarrassed. I like you. I love you.”

               Dowoon purses his lips, looking like he’s trying to push down so many feelings: embarrassment, frustration, and maybe a little bit of love as well.

               “So, did you just get home after that?” Jieun asks, leaning forward, needing more deets. “What happened after?”

               Dowoon sighs, looking like he just aged three more years.

 

_Love? Is he serious? Is he seriously talking about love? I mean, yeah, if we’re going to think about it we’ve been hanging out for two months already. Two months is enough to call it “love”. It is, right? Ahh, who cares? How can he just—how does he just say things like—why is he like—why do I like—_

               “Wait, Dowoon, so does this mean we’re boyfriends?” Younghyun asked out of the blue—

 

“Wait, you weren’t saying anything while I was having an internal monologue, right?” Dowoon asks Younghyun.

               He thinks about it for a moment.

               “Nah.”

               “Okay, good.”

 

“Wait, Dowoon, so does this mean we’re boyfriends?” Younghyun asked out of the blue, Dowoon still pulling him as they walked.

               “I don’t know?” Dowoon said, mostly because he didn’t want to think about that sort of thi—

 

“You were stuttering more than that,” Younghyun says.

               Dowoon sighs. “Fine.”

 

“I-I d-don’t know?” Dowoon stuttered, mostly because he didn’t want to think about that sort of thing right now. “M-maybe?”

               “Do you want to be?”

               Dowoon bit his lip, cheeks still (still) burning.

               “I mean, yeah?” Dowoon said, voice coming out in a tiny squeak. “O-of course I do. I mean—”

               “Then this means we’re officially going out?” Younghyun asked, and Dowoon could hear the smile in his voice. “Like, we’re dating?

               Despite it all, an embarrassed smile crept its way up Dowoon’s face.

               “Yeah,” he said, smiling widely. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

 

“Aww,” Jieun says, feeling touched.

               “Aww,” Younghyun says as well. “You were smiling?”

               Dowoon sighs, then smiles at him, too, defeated.

               “Yes. Yes, I was.”

 

They reached Dowoon’s house with a lot less talking, having gradually slowed down in their steps, and eventually walking side-by-side, hands still linked, lips still smiling.

               They let go of their hands when they arrived at the house, wanting to keep it as their little shared secret, at least until they’d tell their parents (or at least, in Younghyun’s case, until they shake it out of him). Dowoon’s mom seemed to have caught on before Younghyun’s parents did, though.

               “It seems it was a good decision to let you two alone for a while, hm?” she said, placing her hands on their shoulders from behind.

               “Mother,” Dowoon said, covering his face.

               “Pardon?” Younghyun asked, confused at the time.

               She just laughed before patting Younghyun’s shoulder and placing a kiss on Dowoon’s forehead.

               “Just don’t forget your responsibilities and priorities,” she said, before walking away with a small smile. “None of _that_ sort of thing until you two’ve become adults, okay?” she said over her shoulder, wagging a finger, before joining with Younghyun’s parents, who were admiring the chandelier.

               “Um, what did your mom mean?” Younghyun asked Dowoon. “What kind of ‘thing’ was she talking about?”

               Dowoon was covering his face with his hands, red all over again and looking devastated.

               “I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

“Seriously, when are you going to tell me what your mom meant?” Younghyun asks as Jieun snorts to the side.

               “When—” Dowoon coughs into his left fist, then continues in a tiny voice, “When we’re adults.

               “A-anyway—”

 

The night almost coming to an end, they all stood in front of Dowoon’s house, by the front gate.

               “Thank you for a wonderful evening, Yena,” Younghyun’s mom said.

               “It was my pleasure,” Mrs. Yoon replied with a smile. “It was wonderful to meet all of you.”

               “Maybe next time we could invite the both of you to dinner at our place,” Dad offered and both Younghyun and his mom nodded.

               “Oh, I’m sure we both can’t wait,” Mrs. Yoon said, before turning to Dowoon and smiling; he gave a tiny smile back.

               They bid each other goodbye and Younghyun’s parents walked on, talking amongst themselves excitedly, probably planning that dinner they were talking about.

               “Good evening, Younghyun. Have a safe trip home,” Mrs. Yoon said with a smile before turning to Dowoon. “Let’s go inside. It’s getting cold.”

               “U-um, actually—” Younghyun started, and the both of them turned to him. “Um, would it be okay if I talked to Dowoon for a few minutes?”

               Mrs. Yoon smiled at him, knowingly. “Of course. But don’t take too long now. Dowoon might catch a cold.”

               And she turned away, leaving Younghyun and Dowoon alone at the gates.

               “So…” Dowoon started.

               “So…” Younghyun started.

               They stared at each other for a while, feeling just as awkward as they did when they were first left alone together in the house, before they ate dinner.

               “Thank you,” Younghyun eventually blurted out. “For the dinner. And for kissing me.”

               “That’s… that’s not something you usually thank someone for,” Dowoon said, but his cheeks were pink.

               “Yeah, but to be honest, I don’t think we’d even get together if it was me who had to kiss you,” Younghyun said, scratching his neck. “Who knows how long that’d take?”

               At that, Dowoon laughed and Younghyun suddenly got reminded of the rooftop of where he saw that laugh for the first time.

               “You said that long speech and still thought all of it was platonic,” he laughed. “It’s a miracle you don’t think you like me as a friend.”

               Younghyun laughed, too. “Well, I _do_ like you as a friend. Just… a _boy_ friend.”

               “Are you seriously pulling out your cheesy jokes now?”

               “It’s who I am. Don’t you like me for who I am?”

               Dowoon smiled. “I do.”

               They stared at each other for a comfortable while. A cold breeze walked by.

               Then Younghyun leaned in and placed a kiss on Dowoon’s forehead, a small _Good night_.

               He pulled away and Dowoon was staring at him, flowers blooming in his eyes.

               “I gave you a kiss on the lips, and you give me a kiss on the forehead?” he said, but there was a grin on his face, one that he just couldn’t push down.

               “Then why don’t I try again?” Younghyun offered, grinning one of his own.

               And he leaned in, closing his eyes, pressing his lips onto Dowoon’s in an innocent, sweet kiss that he wouldn’t forget, not now, not ever, a giddy feeling taking hold of his heart. He smiled into the kiss, happy, and so in love.

               He pulled away and returned Dowoon’s smile with his own.

               “See you Monday?” Younghyun said.

               Dowoon glanced down for a moment, looking as shy as Younghyun felt, before looking back up.

               “Yeah. See you Monday,” Dowoon replied, sending him one more smile before turning and walking away, skipping a little as Younghyun’s heart skipped a beat.

               They both went back home, both of them wishing Monday would come quicker.

 

The story ends on a sweet note, and Jieun can’t help but sigh wistfully.

               “That’s honestly the sweetest thing in the world and I hate that I can’t hate it because it’s so sweet,” she says, a smile on her face.

               Younghyun smiles sheepishly. “I guess it is,” he says, turning to Dowoon, who has a ghost of a smile on his face.

               “It could be sweeter,” he says, shrugging before pecking Younghyun on the cheek, sending him crumbling onto the table, neck red.

               Jieun looks away from them.

               “Oh, look, look!” she says, waving a hand to get the two lovebirds’ attention. “It’s Jae’s turn.”

               They all watch as Jaehyung moves to the front of the line, nervously saying something. Café Noona furrows her eyebrows, looking confused for a moment. Then Jaehyung says something, and she laughs. A smile appears on Jaehyung’s face and he says something else, to which Café Noona nods, keeping her smile.

               A few moments later, Jaehyung walks over to their table, holding a tray of their ordered drinks.

               “So?” Jieun asks, excited. That was the best interaction those two ever had. “Did you get her name?”

               “No,” Jaehyung says, but there’s a smile on his face. “But I thanked her for always making such nice drinks for her customers, and she told me she was happy to have customers like me.”

               He sits down with them and grabs his caramel drink, sipping at it peacefully.

               “At least you actually talked to her without stuttering this time,” Younghyun says, grabbing his chocolate drink with his right hand.

               Dowoon hums in agreement, already sipping the banana drink in his left hand. “At least she doesn’t think you’re being annoying.”

               “Do you think I should try talking to her when she isn’t at work?” Jaehyung asks, looking up in thought. “I mean, she’s working so hard and she’s always giving orders with the prettiest smile on her face. As much as I want her to notice me, I don’t want to bother her at work.”

               He keeps this worried furrow in his eyebrow, and the other three look at each other, knowingly.

               “Well, maybe you could ask when she gets off work,” Younghyun suggests. “And then try to talk to her then.”

               “Hopefully, you won’t freeze up next time,” Dowoon says.

               Jaehyung sighs. “I really hope I don’t.”

               Jieun watches the three of them talking to each other, unbothered. Younghyun’s laughing at something Jaehyung said and Dowoon rolls his eyes before placing his head on Younghyun’s shoulder. A perfect couple. In every way.

               She watches Jaehyung, who glances back at Café Noona every now and then. He’s someone who’s been hoping for a long time—knowing Jaehyung, maybe even longer. This time, he didn't get her name. Or her number. But he’s smiling all the same.

               Jieun smiles as well.

               “Love is difficult,” she says, shrugging. “But it’s beautiful, isn’t it.” She sips on her green tea drink.

               Younghyun and Jaehyung turn to her, looking confused. Dowoon just smiles to himself, sipping on his half-full drink.

               “It is,” Dowoon says.

               “I guess it is?” Younghyun says.  

               “Ji, are you okay?” Jaehyung asks.

               Maybe next time would be better.

               “Yeah,” she says. “I’m good.”

 

“You didn’t tell her,” Dowoon whispers to Younghyun as the four of them leave the Noona Café, both their hands still linked as they were under the table earlier.

               “Well, it’s embarrassing,” Younghyun says, watching Jieun and Jaehyung walk together, the former punching the latter on the shoulder, sending him almost falling to the ground.

               “And so are you,” Dowoon says. “But I like you for who you are. As dumb and dense and embarrassing as you are.”

               Dowoon shrugs, looking forward, hiding a smile behind the thin line his lips formed, but Younghyun knows. He knows.

               He smiles at him, liking smiling at him, liking smiling because of him, and really, really, _extremely_ grateful for that night.

               Even if it did have its casualties.

 

Younghyun watched Dowoon walk back to his house, a small smile on his face. He couldn’t wait for Monday.

               He turned, ready to run to catch up with his parents—

               Except he didn't need to because they were right there, in the distance, staring at Younghyun with smiles hidden behind their hands, presumably having seen the whole thing.

               “So _that’s_ why you two took such a long time to get back,” Younghyun’s dad said, and Younghyun already knew they were going to talk about this for the next two weeks or so.

               He _really_ couldn’t wait for Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN FACT(S)  
> • i originally just wanted a plain retelling of what happened after dinner, but then as i was writing the idea of dowoon and younghyun actually narrating what happened and integrating it with the third-person narrative of the story was just too fun not to do asajshljkdf  
> • i actually wrote this because a reader once commented on "I just do" asking what happened after the kiss, and it was timely because i already had a headcanon as to what did! i already replied to them what happened, but i figured it deserved its own retelling ^^
> 
> shout-out to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	3. After school hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jieun and Jaehyung invite Younghyun and Dowoon to hang out for a few hours after school.

“Hey! You two, wait up!”

               Dowoon and Younghyun stop and turn just by the door to the classroom to see Jieun and Jaehyung catching up with them, the latter in the middle of putting on his bag on the way to them.

               “Oh, were we supposed to go to Noona Café?” Younghyun asks, turning back. “I thought Café Noona doesn't have work on Fridays.”

               “No, no, nothing like that,” Jieun answers, waving a dismissive hand. “Me and Jaehyung just wanted to invite you two to hang out this afternoon.”

               “Hang out?” Dowoon repeats. “Where?”

               “Just wherever,” Jaehyung says. “We just usually walk around by the district area, buy some stuff, try out those weird foods that Mrs. Choi always has out—”

               “It’s different every time; you guys should definitely go there,” Jieun inserts.

               “And since I finally got my allowance, it’s my turn to pay for norae bang.”

               “Norae bang?” Younghyun asks. “Like, singing?”

               “Yeah!” Jaehyung says, grinning. “You're part of the band, right? We have to hear you sing at least once.”

               “I mean, I am, but—”

               “Come on, just join us, both of you!” Jieun puts her hands on her hips. “You're always going home together without doing anything. This is our youth! We should spend it having fun and making memories before we grow old and sickly.”

               Dowoon thinks about it, then shrugs.

               “Eh, I don’t really have much to do anyway,” he says.

               “Aw, heck, yeah!” Jaehyung says, putting a hand up.

               Dowoon gently pushes it down. “The last time I high-fived you, you were clutching onto your fingers and saying, ‘No pain, no gain, Jae. No pain, no gain.’”

               “You’re just really strong.”

               “No, you're just really weak.”

               Jieun puts her hand up; Dowoon high-fives it with a loud, sharp sound. Jaehyung flinches.

               “I don’t know, guys,” Younghyun says, and they all turn to see him looking hesitant, scratching his neck.

               “Aw, come on! It’ll be fun!” Jieun says. “I mean, remember the amusement park? You were scared of literally every ride, but you had fun, right?”

               “How’d you know I was scared at every ride?” Younghyun asks, confused.

               Jieun and Jaehyung steel themselves. Dowoon looks at the camera like he’s from The Office.

               “I’m…” Jieun starts, obviously panicking. “I’m psychic.”

               Younghyun stares at her. Jieun stares back. Jaehyung stares at the both of them. Dowoon covers his face with both hands.

               “… Really?” Younghyun asks, looking interested.

               “Anyway!” Dowoon interrupts, a little loudly. He gestures to Younghyun with a hand. “You were saying something about not being sure about going with us?”

               “Oh, yeah.” Younghyun shrugs. “I don’t know. I just… I’ve never hung out with friends before. And I have a curfew. I don't wanna stay out too late.”

               “Come on, Younghyun. Dowoon’s going. Don’t you wanna be with your One and Only Until Forever and Even After That?” Jieun asks.

               “Who even came up with that name,” Dowoon mumbles.

               Younghyun hesitates a little, looking back and forth between the others and Dowoon.

               Dowoon looks at him for a while, watching him fidget and mull over it.

               “You don't have to go if you don't want to,” he tells Younghyun, who looks back at him.

               “But—” Dowoon coughs. “But it _would_ be a lot more fun with you there. With me.”

               Pink seeps into Younghyun’s cheeks, and an embarrassed smile shakily comes up his face.

               “You know, I’ve seen this very same exchange, like, eight times this week,” Jaehyung says to Jieun.

               “It’s their dynamic,” she hisses, swatting him away with a hand and focusing her attention on the two of them, tense.

               “Well, uh,” Younghyun starts, shyly grinning at Dowoon, “maybe if my parents let me. I’ll go ask them right now.”

               Younghyun leaves to go to the corner of the almost-empty classroom, pulling out his phone from his pocket and dialing the number, an obvious jump to his step.

               “Dowoon, do you realize the amount of power you hold over that boy?” Jaehyung asks, turning to him.

               “I am very aware of that fact.” Dowoon scratches his jaw, ears a tiny bit pink. “I just try my best to not take advantage of it.”

               “But it’s tempting?”

               “ _Very_ tempting.”

               Dowoon leans on the wall of the classroom, crossing his arms and staring at Younghyun’s figure. While it’s true that Younghyun’s never gone out with friends before, it’s also the same for Dowoon. Except, unlike Younghyun who prioritized many things over friendship, it was because Dowoon was so dependent on his parents for everything that he couldn't bear to be without them. In kindergarten, he never let himself hang out with the other kids and always just clung to his mother’s legs. In elementary and middle school, he started focusing more on his studies, so he could become the son he wanted to be for them. And in high school…

               Now, he just doesn't know how to make friends.

               But Younghyun. Younghyun’s been friendless for the longest time, but despite it, he’s friendly. He’s outgoing. He knows how to talk to people—the only reason why no one talks to him back is because they're all afraid of his appearance. He’d have a lot of friends if he'd just let himself have them. Dowoon wouldn't have any even if he wanted to.

               Someone snaps their fingers in front of Dowoon’s face.

               “Hey! Future Mr. Kang,” Jieun calls out to him.

               Dowoon feels a blush come on, realizing what she just said. “F-future Mr. _what_?”

               “Future Mr. Kang,” Jieun repeats. “I only added ‘future’ because you two aren't _officially_ married yet. Why— do you want Younghyun to be Future Mr. _Yoon_?”

               “Wh-whoever said I’d be m-m-marrying Younghyun?” Dowoon splutters, trying his best not to stutter but it comes out like it anyway.

               “From what I heard, Younghyun’s parents and yours.” Jieun shrugs with a smile. Dowoon isn't even going to ask how she knew that. Maybe she really is psychic.

               “Anyway, where do you wanna go?” Jaehyung asks, sitting on an armchair.

               Dowoon’s eyes involuntarily go to where Younghyun is standing, looking like he's having some connection problems with his phone.

               “Um—”

               “Don’t you dare say, ‘Anywhere as long as it’s with Younghyun,’” Jaehyung says.

               “I wasn’t going to.” _I was just thinking it._ “I just can’t think of anything. You guys go there more often than I do.”

               Jieun hums in thought, tapping her chin. Then she snaps her fingers.

               “Then what about the book shop?” she suggests. “Younghyun’s been telling me you've been interested in astronomy lately. There was this really cool magazine— let’s check it out together.”

               “Y-you don’t have to—”

               “Oh, and didn't you say you wanted some of that brownie I had for lunch the other day?” Jaehyung recalls. “We should go there first before the book shop.”

               “No, book shop first,” Jieun argues. “What if someone gets the magazine?”

               “No, bakeshop first. Those brownies get sold out easily.” Jaehyung frowns.

               “But the book shop closes in like—” Jieun checks her watch— “an hour and a half. We need to get there before the shop closes.”

               “We can buy the magazine _tomorrow_.”   

               “But we're going with Dowoon and Younghyun _today_.”

               “You guys!” Dowoon calls out to them, surprised at how they're arguing over something so small. They turn to him, and he says, “Why are you even arguing about this? It’s not that big of a deal.”

               “It’s the first time you're hanging out with us,” Jieun says.

               “And Best Friend Rule Number Forty-Two states that ‘any endeavor with any friend, be it of the casual or intimate nature, must objectively and subjectively be the best endeavor experienced so far in that moment of time,’” Jaehyung states, as if he memorized that.

               “But why?” Dowoon asks, confused.

               Jaehyung and Jieun blink.

               “‘Cause you're our friend?” Jaehyung says as if Dowoon is stupid for not even knowing that.

               “It’s not like there's any important reason behind it. But you know what _is_ important?” Jieun says, then turns to Jaehyung. “That we need to go to the bookshop first before the bakeshop.”

               They go back to their light-hearted arguing tirade, and Dowoon watches them, a little surprised at their reasoning.

_Just because I’m their friend? They're arguing just because I’m their friend?_

               He turns to Younghyun, who has his phone to his ear, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

_“I like you just because I do.”_

               Dowoon looks down to his feet, smiling a little. _I guess it’s the same thing with them_.

               “ _ARE YOU SERIOUS, KANG YOUNGHYUN? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ASKING ME THAT?_ ”

               Everyone in the room flinches, including the other students who are still milling about with the four of them, and all turn to where Younghyun is holding his phone a distance from his ear, looking pained.

               “ _Why are you even asking me this? Of course, you can go— are you even seventeen? Stop acting like you’re thirty and go with your friends, you idiot!_ ”

               Jaehyung turns to Dowoon. “Is that Younghyun’s mo—”

               “Yes. Yes, it is,” Dowoon answers.

               Younghyun is saying, “But, that’s—”

               “ _I swear to god, Younghyunnie, you finally have friends, you finally have someone to share your future with, and you finally have a chance to spend it with all of them, and you're hesitating? I didn't raise you like this.”_

               “M-Mom, can you be a little more qui—”

               “ _God, where is your father? Joonyoung!_ ” Mrs. Kang’s voice gets muffled after she said that, as if she put down the phone for a while to address her husband. “ _Joonyoung! Your son says he isn’t sure if he’s allowed to hang out with his friends after school_.”

               There's a pause before she continues, “ _Younghyun, your father says you're an idiot._ ”

               “Tell him I said, ‘Thank you,’” he says, sarcastically.

               “ _Anyway, just go already! You're making them wait for you! And take pictures—I wanna see how your friends look like._ ”

               “Sure, Mom. I will. Love you.”

               “ _Love you, sweetie. Say hi to Dowoonnie and your other friends for me!_ ”

               And the call ends there.

               Younghyun turns around and everyone except the three waiting by the door flinch and turn away, trying their best not to get noticed.

               “Did your parents say yes?” Jieun asks, sarcastically.

               Younghyun laughs sheepishly, walking over to them. “Yeah, they did,” he answers, before grabbing Dowoon’s hand out of habit.

               “Then let’s go.”

 

“I can’t believe I lost,” Jaehyung says, grumbling.

               After Jieun and Jaehyung argued for literally the entire way to the district area, it was finally decided that they go to the bookshop first and foremost. They’re currently checking out the books in one corner of the shop.

               “Well, you can’t really win against Kim Jieun,” Younghyun says, grabbing a manhwa off the shelf and reading the premise. _“Seven individuals find themselves on a train, not knowing where they're going, or who they even are.” Wow. Intriguing_. “She _is_ planning on becoming a lawyer, after all.”

               “Look, Dowoon!” Jieun is saying on the other side of the shelf. Younghyun glances over to see her spreading her arms open wide, showing off the books and magazines presumably on that side. “The astronomy section—it’s everything you ever wanted.”

               Dowoon covers his mouth slightly with both hands, saying in a tiny voice, “Oh, my god.”

               Younghyun smiles to himself, putting back the manhwa on the shelf and reaching into his pocket. Jaehyung is crouched down, staring at the comics in front of him with furrowed eyebrows.

               “I just hope that kid who always orders those brownies in bulk doesn’t show up today,” he grumbles, glaring at a magical girl with really big eyes. “She’s always why I can never buy any brownies on Mondays and Sundays.” Then he adds, in a really ominous way, “One day, Jamie. One day.”

               He glances up at Younghyun, who’s secretly taking photos of either Jieun (not likely) or Dowoon (very likely) with a smile on his face. Jaehyung stares at him for a moment, thinking.

               “Hey, Younghyun,” he says, and Younghyun looks at him, questioning. He gestures with a hand. “Come down here for a sec.”

               “What’s up?” Younghyun asks, crouching down with him.

               “Why do you like Dowoon?” he asks.

               “Why do I like Dowoon?” Younghyun repeats, blinking. “No specific reason. I just really, really do.”

               “What do you mean?”

               “Like—I don’t know. I guess it’s just that every time I look at him, it’s like everything becomes so much more vibrant. All he could do is smile or laugh or hold my hand, and it’d be the only thing I need. And I guess the best part of it is that it’s not just me who feels this way. He likes me _back_. He returns my feelings. And this feeling I feel for him just keeps on growing and growing—and I don’t know. I like liking him. I like being in love with him. It’s—”

               He looks down, smiling to himself.

               “It’s the best kind of feeling I could ever have,” he says.

               Jaehyung looks at him for a while, his words settling in his mind.

               “Did it start like that?” he asks.

               “Huh?” Younghyun looks up.

               “Everything you feel right now—is that how you’ve always felt about him?”

               Younghyun takes a while. “No,” he eventually answers. “I actually didn’t even know his name until Jieun told me.”

               “I see,” Jaehyung says, nodding to himself.

               “Why are you asking me this, by the way?”

               “It’s just…” Jaehyung grabs a manhwa off the shelf entitled _The Healing Hearts’ Demo._ “What you two feel for each other… it’s nothing like how I feel for Noona.

               “You two are literally the most perfect couple I’ve ever seen. You spend every waking moment with each other. You hold hands, visit each other in the weekends—the very definition of what love should be like. It’s almost too good to be true, like you’re a love birthed through fiction.

               “When I look at Noona, I freeze up because she’s just so pretty. That’s why I had a crush on her in the first place. I was just so taken away by her smile, and her eyes, and—ugh, I’m starting to sound like you, but whatever. I just know that this is nothing like the love you two have for each other. It’s just a puppy love, a crush. It doesn’t mean anything, but why do I still want her to notice me?”

               Younghyun doesn’t say anything for a while.

               “Puppy love is still love,” he says. “It’s in the name.”

               “Dude—”

               “No, I know it sounds stupid but it’s true. That’s how real love starts, you know. From crushes and that ‘love at first sight’ thing. You might not know who Café Noona really is on the inside because all you’ve seen of her is what’s on the outside. But what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with liking how she smiles, or how pretty her eyes are? What’s wrong with feeling star-struck? It might not be that ‘real love’ you’re talking about, but real love doesn’t come from nowhere. You have to work for it, earn it, grow it because something you can get immediately is worth nothing.

               “I may have fallen in love with Dowoon, but it only went past that puppy love because I chose to love him. I choose to keep being in love with him, and doting on him, and showering him with anything I can afford. You can’t compare what you have for Café Noona to what I have for Dowoon because you haven’t started anything yet. You need to start growing your love for her yourself.”

               Jaehyung stares at Younghyun, who’s looking at him back with all the seriousness in the world.

               “Honestly, Younghyun, are you really seventeen?” he asks.

               Younghyun looks up to the ceiling, sighing, exasperated. “ _Why_ does everyone ask that? Yes, I’m seventeen. I’m turning eighteen in December. I’m in my last year of high school.”

               He grumbles, grabbing a manhwa off the shelf. The cover depicts a happy-go-lucky-looking silver-haired man and a pink-haired man who’s shorter, a thousand plates flying in the air in the middle of crashing down.

               “The youth these days, I swear to god,” Younghyun mumbles, an almost-angry furrow in his eyebrow.

               Jaehyung lets out a breath of laughter, amused, putting back his own book on the shelf. The image of Noona’s smile pops up in his mind; he lets himself smile at it. _Tuesday_ , he thinks. _Let’s not freeze up_.

               “Hey, are you guys done?” Jieun calls from the other side. “Because Dowoon has, like, an entire stack in his arms and I don’t want my poor baby to have aching arms.”

               “Did you just call me your baby?” Dowoon asks as Younghyun shoots up from the floor at the same time with, “Don’t call him your baby.”

               “Chill, Future Mr. Yoon,” Jieun says with a gesture of the hand. “I’m not going to try to steal him from you, or whatever. I’m sick of you men.”

               “Eh, fair enough.”

               Jaehyung stands up as well and sees Dowoon carrying an entire six-piece-set of hard-bound books all about astronomy, if the planets and stars flying across the galaxy (or rather, in this case, the cover) are any indication. The astronomy magazine Jieun was talking about before is sitting on top. Jieun herself is holding in one hand a big heavy-looking hard-bound book entitled “How to be a Murderer”.

               “Are you going to read all that?” he asks Dowoon.

               “Ya,” Dowoon says, his chin on top of the stack. “I’m gonna pull an all-nighter.”

               “You are not,” Younghyun says, walking over to help him carry the books. “The last time you did, you couldn’t move out of your bed for an entire day. You were lucky it was on the weekend and not on a day when we had a test.”

               Dowoon whines a little, begrudgingly giving Younghyun half the stack.

               “Fine,” he says, sighing. “Anyway, what are you getting?”

               “Probably nothing,” Younghyun answers, receiving the books with a huff. “I don’t really need any books right now.”

               “But you were eyeing this manhwa here,” Jaehyung says, picking up the one that looked like it was about volleyball. “You kept putting it back and then getting it and then putting it back and getting something else and then getting it again.”

               Younghyun contorts his face, looking hesitant. “Yeah, but I don’t really need—”

               “Oh, for god’s sake, stop thinking about what you need and start thinking about what you want,” both Dowoon and Jieun almost yell into Younghyun’s face, voices scarily in time despite the long sentence.

               Younghyun steels himself, looking momentarily concerned and frightened.

               “I… I…” he starts, looking between. “Okay.”

               Jaehyung places the book on top of Younghyun’s stack. 

 

 “Today is a good day,” Dowoon is saying, dropping off his books at the counter and watching the staff place it in a locker along with the others.

               They decided to leave their stuff at the public storage, so it wouldn't weight them down as they walk around the area. Apparently, Jaehyung and Jieun are planning to beat their record of Most Shops Visited Under Thirty Minutes.

               “The most so far is twelve,” Jaehyung explained.

               “Twelve?” Younghyun asked, sounding surprised. “How did you even do that?”

               “Let’s just say that me and Jieun are no longer allowed to enter the shops to the left of Dunkin’ Donuts,” he answered before shivering. “I still get nightmares of so many dancing booties.”

               “Booties?” Dowoon asked, confused and concerned at his wording.

               “Booties,” Jieun confirmed, not explaining anything further than that.

               “How so?” Younghyun asks in reply to Dowoon, back in the present and leaning against the counter as Jieun and Jaehyung drop off their books as well (Jaehyung decided on buying a sports magazine in the end).

               “There's no particular reason,” Dowoon answers, a wistful smile on his face. “I’m just in a good mood this afternoon.”

               “Is it because we bought that Astronomy set?”

               “Yes, it is.”

               Younghyun breathes out a laugh and ruffles Dowoon’s hair.

               “I’m glad I went with you today,” he says, grinning at Dowoon.

               Dowoon feels a blush come on but he just shrugs it off.

               “The others make it fun,” he answers, glancing at the other two.

               “Half-off and I’ll give you a plushie of Eevee that I made _personally_ with my grandmother,” Jieun is saying to the staff, palms face-down on the counter.

               “How many times do I have to tell you this, kid—we don’t do bargains here,” the staff says, looking extremely exasperated.

               “Okay, then,” Jaehyung says, “What about… that plushie of Eevee _and_ —” He pauses dramatically. “One of _Snorlax_.”

               The staff member visibly hesitates.

               “… How big is the Snorlax plushie?” he asks, voice quiet.

               “As _big._ As your _entire._ _Torso_ ,” Jieun says, stretching out every word, voice down to a whisper.

               “… Damn it.”

               Younghyun and Dowoon turn back to each other, amused smiles on their faces.

               “I’m still not used to this whole ‘friends’ thing, though,” Dowoon continues, propping his elbows up on the counter he’s leaning on.

               “Me, too,” Younghyun admits, and Dowoon turns to see him scratching his neck. “I mean—I think Jieun was my first real friend. Like an actual friend that I talk with and share stories with, even if it was only limited to the classroom.”

               “And that swing in the children’s park,” Dowoon recalls.

               “And that,” Younghyun adds, nodding in agreement. “It was really weird because she kept on trying to get me to talk for the entire week. And she kept on going over to me during lunch, and once she even bet that she was a better cook than me. Needless to say, that was a total bluff.”

               Younghyun laughs.

               “She really helped a lot with helping me come out of my shell,” he says. “Even if it was just for one week.”

               Dowoon nods, staring at the counter he's leaning on. That's right. Younghyun was friends with Jieun before he was with Dowoon. He knew her first before he knew him. That means—could that have meant—

               “To be honest, Dowoon,” Younghyun says, turning to him with a smile, “if it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't have approached you in the first place.”

               Every worry Dowoon had in his mind fizzles into absolutely nothing and is replaced by a fuzzy feeling in his chest.

               “So, you're telling me Jieun is the reason why we're even dating in the first place?” he asks.

               “She certainly helped in me taking the first step,” Younghyun says, leaning into his space just a bit closer, “but if you didn't let me take it, then that first step would've been all for naught.”

               “Alright, you two, I have no idea what you two are talking about, but I already know you're flirting—stop it,” Jieun says, walking over. Judging from the stricken look on the staff’s face, she had won yet another battle. “Jaehyung and I didn't come here to get double third-wheeled.”

               Younghyun laughs.

               “You invited the World’s Cutest Couple to hang out after school,” he says. “You were asking for it, really.”

               Jaehyung lets out a distant “ _ohh_ ” as Dowoon stares up at Younghyun and the grin on his face. He smiles a little, feeling that fuzzy feeling from before grow. He glances at Jieun and smiles a bit more.

               “Don't talk like that to my baby,” Dowoon says to Younghyun, and the latter turns to him in shock.

               “Your _what_?” he asks, betrayal defining his every feature as Jaehyung lets out an even louder “ _OHH_.”

               “I knew I made the right choice with you,” Jieun says, hand-on-her-chest touched.

               “I’m sorry, my love,” Dowoon says to her, mockingly smitten. “It took such a long time but now I realize you're the one for me.”

               “Fate had kept us apart, but our love still stands strong,” Jieun says, reaching out to Dowoon; he holds her hand and sees the giggle she's trying to hold back.

               “What the hell is happening,” Younghyun says, looking between them, horrified and very confused, as if he isn't sure if this is real or just an act or what.

               Jieun drops her hand and finally lets out that giggle, draping an arm around Jaehyung and pulling (dragging) him away.

               “Come on, you two!” she calls over her shoulder, Jaehyung looking like he's getting choked. “Adventure awaits!”

               Younghyun still looks worried.

               “Was that—” he starts, turning to Dowoon. “That was an act, right? You two were just messing with me? You didn't leave me for Jieun?”

               Dowoon lets out a loud laugh and places a kiss on Younghyun’s cheek.

               “Adventure awaits,” Dowoon says instead of answering him, moving away to follow the other two, not even turning back.

               Younghyun watches him, completely astonished. Then, a smile slowly comes up his face. Man, Dowoon just keeps surprising him, doesn't he?

               He runs after them. Adventure awaits.

 

“—so then, I told him, ‘Don’t lick the floor, Jae,’ and he says, ‘Don’t tell me what to do,’ and guess what? He goes on the floor and—”

               “ _BROWNIES! DOWOON, WE GOT BROWNIES!_ ”

               “J-Jaehyung, why are you walking towards me so fast—”

               “ _BROWNIES!_ ”

               “ _AHH!_ ”

_Snap._

 

“Woah, what is this? Tastes a lot like squid.”

               “You actually wanna know?”

               “… Yeah?”

               “Well, it’s actually…”

               “Oh, _gross_! Mrs. Choi, what the hell?”

               “ _Ahh,_ Younghyun, you spat at my _face_!”

               “It’s not that gross.”

               “…”

               “…”

               “…”

               “… Why are you guys looking at me like that.”

               “Dowoon, you know I love you very much—”

               “Don’t.”

 

“Oh, hey! Mr. Jeon’s finally opening up his shop!”

               “Is that a chick mascot? But it looks like a chicken barbeque. Isn't that just cruel?”

               “Who cares? CHICKEN!”

               “Oh, no. He's on a chicken frenzy. You two. Get ready to grab his arms.”

               “… What?”

               “… What?”

               “Oh, crap. Here it is.”

               “I AM THE CHICKEN CONNOISSEUR!”

               “Oh, _what the heck_!”

               “Younghyun, just grab his arms already!”

 

“God, who is this ‘dabbam’ guy? He always beats my top score every single time.”

               “Not only yours. Every single game in this place has his name written on it.”

               “No way, seriously? … Man, you’re right!”

               “I can never catch him.”

               “So, does this mean Dabbam is your Jamie?”

               “I guess it must be so.”

               “What are they talking about?”

               “Just leave them be. Want me to get you a Sandshrew keychain? Don't tell anyone but I secretly rigged this thing, so I can get any prize I want every time.”

               “That’s illegal and I’m kind of scared to ask you how you did that, but sure, why not.”

 

“Please can we not go to Mrs. Choi’s again. How does she even have a different food ready every time we walk past her?”

               “She’s magic, Younghyun. It’s the only answer.”

               “Magic isn’t rea—”

               “ _Gasp._ ”

               “Huh?”

               “ _GASP_.”

               “Stop saying ‘gasp’ out loud—what are you—”

               “ _GASP!_ ”

_Snap._

               “… Really. You really took a photo of this.”

               “Blackmail is the only currency I know, Younghyun. Blackmail is the only thing I know.”

 

“Oh, look. The video game store has that new game on sale.”

               “…”

               “…”

               “… Why did the two of you share this knowing look like you're about to do somethi—”

               “Best Friend Rule Number 32: The first friend to arrive at a set destination via impromptu race reserves the right to ask the others to do them a minor favor!”

               “OW! Jieun, no fair!”

               “… What.”

               “I think we're supposed to race with them or else we're gonna end up doing something for the winner.”

               “…”

               “…”

               “If you don't let me win, I’m not letting you kiss me for a week.”

               “ _Dowoon_! That’s not fair!”

 

“I’m gonna do it.”

               “Don’t do it.”

               “I’m gonna _do it_.”

               “Jaehyung, please don’t do it.”

               “Can you at least wait until I can get this phone to work so I can take a photo?”

               “ _Don’t encourage him_ —”

               “THE WORLD IS MINE!”

_Snap._

               “ _Ahh!_ _Why?_ ”

               “Wet. I’m wet. I’m soaking wet. Younghyun, give me your jacket.”

               “Oh, crap— here. How long unti—”

               “ _Ah-choo!_ ”

               “… Gosh darn it all.”

 

“Can you two stop cuddling while we’re walking? You're making the homophobes stare at us. And I don’t wanna be stared at by homophobes.”

               “But Dowoon needs at least twenty minutes of warmth before he can stop sneezing.”

               “I don’t need— _ah-choo!_ ”

               “Shush, my sweet little child. Just keep close to me and you’ll be fine.”

               “Are they still cuddling while walking?”

               “Yeap.”

               “God, we can't escape it for a second, can we?”

               “Nope.”

 

“Hey, it’s Mr. Kwon. Do you think he can hear me from up here?”

               “Please don’t start shouting—”

               “Hey! Mr. Kwon! Younghyun says he thinks you're hot!”

               “I said that _one_ time and it was because you refused to give me back my lunch until I said it!”

               “ _What_ are the two of you doing? That’s our teacher; we’re not supposed to be seen out of class like this.”

               “Oh, crap.”

               “Jieun, hide, hide!”

               “Why are you all standing by the balco—”

               “Dowoon, hide!”

               “It’s too late! He already saw him!”

               “…”

               “…”

               “…”

               “…”

               “Did he just… smile and wave at Mr. Kwon? And did Mr. Kwon just… smile and wave back?”

               “The privilege of being the top student in class.”

 

“Oh, the sky is already dark.”

               “We should be at home right now.”

               “Don’t we have a test on Monday?”

               “We should probably study for that.”

               “…”

               “…”

               “…”

               “…”

               “ _Or_ we could go to the norae bang.”

               “Yeah, I like that idea more.”

 

Younghyun giggles at the pictures he took on his phone, Dowoon seated right next to him.

               “Is that Jaehyung dancing in the center of town?” Dowoon asks, placing his chin on Younghyun’s shoulder. “I didn't even notice you took a picture of that.”

               Younghyun presses his temple against Dowoon. “Yep. This is one I bet my mom would love.”

               They're sitting on a couch in a norae bang, Jieun and Jaehyung currently deciding who will sing first. Apparently, this is the last place they'll go to for today, “as per Best Friend Rule Number 38”.

               Younghyun closes a picture of Jaehyung chasing down that chick mascot from before as Jieun and Jaehyung walk towards them, argument apparently settled.

               “Alright, so we've decided the order will be this,” Jaehyung prompts, turning to the both of them. “Me, Jieun, Younghyun, and lastly Dowoon. Then everything after that, we decide by rock-paper-scissors.”

               “Um,” Dowoon says, raising a hand. “Why that order?”

               “Because plot,” Jieun answers, as if that made sense. “Let the norae bang session commence!”

               Jaehyung’s pick is “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5, which is a surprise because most people would assume that he'd choose something like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. He also surprisingly sings well, adding his own adlibs, voice clear and sweet.

               “Woah, I never knew you could sing well,” Younghyun says after Jaehyung finishes his song, clapping alongside Jieun’s, “Wooh! That’s my best friend right there!” “Also, your pronunciation sounds really like a foreigner. Did you study abroad, or something?”

               “No,” Jaehyung says. “Jamie just really annoys me.”

               “What?”

               “Jamie’s from Britain,” Jieun helpfully supplies. “Jaehyung learned English just so he could annoy her back.”

               “Ah. I see.”

               Jaehyung drops his microphone. Dowoon catches it before it can reach the floor.

               Jieun’s song choice is Ailee’s “I Will Show You”, which is very in her character. She doesn't sing as well as Jaehyung, but she does make a simple norae bang session into a performance better than Jaehyung ever could.

               When a high note comes on, she suddenly says, “Audience, sing with me,” and turns the mic to Dowoon, who lets out a tiny, confused squeak.

               She then continues the song, as if that wasn't a cheap trick to make people believe she couldn’t reach high notes.

               Younghyun’s choice is “Hey Mama” by David Guetta, a song he finds fun to sing and rap. He isn't exactly sure what the lyrics mean, but he hopes it isn't too bad.

               He ends up jumping and having more fun with it than usual, hyped up and in the moment. And this time around he does the rap part perfectly, even letting in a spike at one point.

               When he finishes, Jaehyung blows a whistle.

               “That was a performance right there. As expected of a member of the band,” he says, looking impressed. “Dowoon, aren't you proud of your boyfriend?”

               But Dowoon is staring at Younghyun for some reason, eyes squinted and a pink color staining his ears, seemingly in a daze.

               “Dowoon?” Younghyun says, waving a hand. The boy doesn't respond.

               “You broke him,” Jieun says.

               After getting Dowoon out of his reverie, the boy finally stands in front of all of them for his turn, though he’s looking hesitant.

               “So, what d’ya have for us today?” Jaehyung asks, leaning forward.

               “Um, I’m not sure…” Dowoon scratches his jaw. “I’m not really the best singer…”

               “That’s fine!” Jieun says, smiling. “This is just for fun, anyway.”

               At that moment, Dowoon turns to Younghyun, hesitation still present in his eyes. Younghyun sends him a smile, a small _You can do it_ , and Dowoon nods his head, purses his lips, puffs out his cheeks, and chooses a song.

               The first note plays, and Younghyun sees a single flower petal fall down to the ground.

               It’s “You Did Well Today” by OKDAL, a sweet, mellow song. And when Dowoon sings it, voice low and soft, Younghyun remembers a sky full of stars and the road going home.

               The song ends, and the room is quiet, even though Younghyun’s ears hear Jieun and Jaehyung’s clapping and hollering. Dowoon glances at Younghyun, hesitant and shy, another shade of pink glowing his cheeks, and Younghyun lets a smile slowly appear on his face, the center of his chest glowing the same color.

               He mouths the words _You did great_ , and a small smile crawls up Dowoon’s face, the song still playing in Younghyun’s head.

 

“Ahhh! Today was great!” Jaehyung says, walking on the dimly-lit streets and spreading his arms wide. Since they ended the day a bit later than usual, they would have to get their books from the storage tomorrow. “I’m gonna have to cut down on my daily expenses (that means no more brownies for an entire month, Jaehyung) but today was worth it.”

               “I think today was the best Friend Adventure so far, though we didn’t beat our record,” Jieun agrees, walking beside him and sighing wistfully. “That was definitely the most fun I’ve had. We should go again next time.” She turns around. “What do you guys thi—”

               She sees Dowoon and Younghyun lagging behind, taking slower steps, talking quietly to one another and holding each other’s hands as they always do, as if they're in their own world.

               Eventually, they come to a stop as Dowoon pulls Younghyun down for a kiss, closing his eyes as Younghyun does as well.

               Jieun turns away and smiles to herself, putting her phone back in her pocket.

               “World’s Cutest Couple indeed?” Jaehyung asks, turning back as well.

               “World’s Cutest Couple indeed.”

 

Kang Younghyun’s Phone Gallery: Friend Adventure #1 Folder Contents.

               One. A photo of Jaehyung shoving a box of brownies into Dowoon’s face after waiting in line for ages. The photo is blurry as Younghyun took the picture literally as Jaehyung was screaming, “BROWNIES!” and Dowoon was doing his best to push him away from him. Jieun is in the background, in the middle of giggling.

               Two. A group selfie of everyone holding up barbecue sticks in front of Mrs. Choi’s food stall, taken by Younghyun before he found out what was inside the food. He’s grinning at the very front with Jieun at his left, who’s scrunching up her face cutely and putting up a peace sign with her left hand. Dowoon is at his right, his head looking like it's sticking out of Younghyun’s shoulder. His eyes are wide in confusion, like he doesn't know what to do when someone takes a picture. Jaehyung is at the back, mouth full of food as he secretly gives Jieun and Dowoon both a pair of bunny ears.

               Three. A picture of Dowoon and Jieun bending down in front of a crane game at the arcade. Jieun is the one controlling the joystick. The both of them are staring closely into the glass, and Dowoon has his lips parted in awe. The crane is in the middle of bringing a Sandshrew keychain to the chute, where Jieun would later happily grab the prize and give it to Dowoon.

               Four. A photo of Jaehyung lying face-down on the ground, taken at an angle in which Younghyun had lay down with him, trying to make the scene look dramatic. The kid had tripped over a rock on the streets trying to beat Jieun and the others to the video game store. Dowoon ended up being the winner and with the right to make anyone do him a small favor—what kind, they wouldn't know yet.

               Five. A blurry photo of Jaehyung jumping into a fountain and splashing everyone in sight, eyes wild and hands up in the air.

               Six. A photo of Jieun and Dowoon next to the fountain, soaking wet. Jieun is looking up to the heavens, as if they had forsaken her. Dowoon is currently in the middle of walking towards Younghyun, hands out and asking for his jacket. Jaehyung is splashing in the fountain, putting his hands up in victory.

               Seven. A photo of Jaehyung and Dowoon sitting next to each other on the balcony of a café. Jaehyung is staring at Dowoon’s banana drink, both confused and impressed, as Dowoon downs it at a rate of Too Fast for You. Jieun’s hand makes a peace sign at the right corner of the image, blurry.

               Eight. A picture of Jieun and Jaehyung at the norae bang, both holding microphones and angry expressions on their faces. They were having an aggressive rap battle, the latter losing and the former winning. It turned out that Jieun was better at spitting bars than she was at “reaching” high notes.

               Nine. A picture of all of them in the lobby of the norae bang, taken by a staff member. Jaehyung wraps his long arms around both Jieun and Dowoon’s shoulders. Jieun makes two peace signs this time. Dowoon makes one as well, as well as an awkward lopsided smile. Younghyun leans his head on Dowoon’s shoulder, grinning with the rest of them.

 

Kang Younghyun’s Phone Gallery: ♡ ♡ ♡ Folder Contents.

               One. A photo of Dowoon at the bookstore, nose in an astronomy magazine, eyes wide in awe.

               Two. A photo taken and sent by Jieun of Younghyun and Dowoon sharing a kiss under the light of the street lamp illuminating them, as if it knew the exact same moment they would.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can i just how in love i am with this chapter????? the MONTAGE, the PHONE GALLERY asdgsdjds i'm the one who wrote it but im SQUEALING!!! and that scene with the kiss under the street light :') honey i brokoro my own kokoro. i just love fics like this where they just hang out and live their drama-free life. it's honestly something i feel like a lot of people need to distract themselves from all the uglies in this world ^^ (also [nakilig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilig) ako sa last scene ayuuuuuuu ashgsajkhfksak)
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • i originally wanted to draw the photos in younghyun's gallery and include them here but then i realized i cant draw HHHHH (why hast the world forsaken meee)  
> \- (01/19/19) also hehe um its not that gud but i tried to draw some of the moments akajs [here ](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao/status/1086241886409351168?s=19)eep ><
> 
> shout-out to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	4. Jieun & Dowoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While waiting for their ice cream, Jieun and Dowoon have a conversation about liking the same person.

Dowoon sits on the bench in front of the ice cream stall where Jieun and Younghyun are standing in line. It’s lunchtime and apparently the new stall that just got put up in front of the school is popular among the students, though Dowoon is convinced it’s less because the ice cream is good-tasting and is more because the guy manning the stall is good- _looking_. From what Dowoon heard, he's from Thailand, though Dowoon doesn't know how that fact alone would make him attractive. Does he play the bass? Does he need to be tutored every week? Does he (unfortunately) unabashedly say he loves him every day? No? Then, Dowoon is not interested.

               Dowoon watches Jieun leave Younghyun’s side with a wave and walk over to where he's sitting, letting out a wistful sigh.

               “It’s too bad Jae didn’t come with us for lunch today,” she says, sitting down. “But we’d be criminals to stop him from getting the romance story he deserves. Ah, young love.”

               “Jieun, you're eighteen.”

               “And Younghyun acts like he's thirty, but we still love him all the same.”

               They turn to the boy in question, who's shifting his weight from one foot to another; Dowoon’s learned that he does that when he feels bored, a cute little habit.

               “Can you believe I used to like that guy?” Jieun asks, leaning on her knees and pressing her cheeks up with the base of her palms. “Not to roast your One and Only Until Forever and Even After That, but looking back on it, I don't know exactly what I saw in him.”

               Dowoon nods in understanding as Jieun continues, “I mean, yeah, he's good-looking, but so is Jae—and you, actually. And a lot of other guys and girls in this school have good looks, too. He's not the only good-looking person in the world.”

               “He’s also kind of dumb,” Dowoon says, still looking at Younghyun. “He didn’t even know what ‘mean’ meant for the past three years.”

               “Right? And he slacks off often, too. He left me for dead when it was the both of us who were assigned to clean the classroom that one time.”

               “He’s incredibly dense.”

               “He’s also really outdated on the times.”

               “Teases me a lot and makes really bad puns.”

               “Why on earth did we even end up liking him?” Jieun asks.

               But when Dowoon looks at her, he sees a look in her eyes and a melancholic smile that tells him she's thinking the same as him.

_Because he’s hardworking. Because he's kind. Because he's funny. Because he's thoughtful. Because he’s caring._

               And for Dowoon, Younghyun is the closest thing to living among the stars on Earth.

               “Is it weird?” Jieun suddenly asks, turning to Dowoon.

               “What is?” he asks.

               “Being friends with someone who used to like your boyfriend,” she says.

               Dowoon thinks about it. He remembers when Younghyun told him about how Jieun confessed to him while Dowoon was gone. At the time, Dowoon didn't know what to think. But Younghyun told him that if he had any worry, he could throw them all away because he had eyes for him and him alone. That helped a lot.

               “Not really,” Dowoon answers, honest. “I mean, you're a great person. And a good one. I wouldn't want to lose you as a friend just because you used to like my b-b-boyfriend.” Dowoon pretends he didn't stutter while saying that.

               Jieun hums in response, a small smile on her face. But it’s too small. Like Jieun’s trying to make it seem like she isn’t sullen. Dowoon bites his lip.

               “But you know,” he starts and Jieun glances at him, “for the longest time, I thought he liked you.”

               “What?” Jieun bursts out, furrowing her eyebrows and leaving her sullen expression, unbelieving.

               “It’s just… he was always talking about you,” Dowoon answers, scratching his jaw and looking down. “And whenever I saw the two of you talk to each other in class, I really thought you'd make a great couple together. I really thought he liked you.”

               “That is _so_ not true. Dowoon, you should've _seen_ the way he kept looking at you,” Jieun says, waving her hands animatedly. “Literally, from the day you came back, he’d been sending you glances during class, he freaking _giggled_ whenever he texted you, and if someone (me) brought you up in a conversation, he would pull out a freaking memorized speech about everything he loved about you. It was kind of annoying, actually.”

               Dowoon glances down, ears burning a flaming red. “Sorry,” he apologizes, feeling sheepish.

               Jieun sighs. “To be honest, seeing how in love with you he was—it made it a little easier to accept it. And not just him, but you, too. You're just as in love with him as he is with you.”

               Dowoon coughs. “Well, I wouldn’t call it l-l-‘love’ just yet—”

               “Dowoon. Please. You're married. Anyway, it just made me realize that you were the perfect person for him. That even if he and I did end up dating, I’d never be able to make him smile as much as you do. And knowing that… I mean, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad, but I was also happy. I mean, like I said, you two are perfect for each other and seeing you happy made me happy, and all that.”

               Jieun’s animated gesturing slowly falters. “I just…” She looks down, pursing her lips.

               “I’m just tired of being let down,” she says, voice quieting down in a way Dowoon’s never heard before. “I don’t hate the both of you, or resent you _or_ Younghyun—it’s just… I wish I had the kind of relationship you two do.”

               Jieun’s staring at the floor, and Dowoon can see her biting the inside of her cheek, trying to hold something back—tears, maybe.

               Then, she forces a laugh, trying to cover up her sad expression.

               “Besides, Younghyun only likes boys anyway so it was literally hopeless from the start,” she laughs, then turns to Dowoon. “If you think about it, it’s kind of funn—”

               “Younghyun likes you, you know,” Dowoon says, quietly.

               Jieun stops short. “Huh?”

               “You were his first real friend. You approached him when the other students would avoid him because he looked scary. You defended him when Mr. Butthole thought he stole even though he didn't,” Dowoon says. “He smiles when he talks about you. He’s very fond of you. And he appreciates you. A lot. He likes you.”

               Jieun stares at Dowoon for a few seconds, and they don't say anything for a while.

               Then, Jieun breathes out a laugh, an actual, genuine smile finally appearing on her face.

               “Does he?” she asks, grinning.

               “He does,” Dowoon says, smiling small. “And I do, too.”

               Jieun nods and smiles to herself, looking back in front of her.

               Then, she yells, bright and loud.

               “ _AAAAAH!_ ” she shouts, and everyone in the vicinity turns to her in shock; Dowoon flinches, surprised.

               “J-Jieun?” he asks, hesitant. “Are you oka—”

               “ _EVERYTHING SUCKS, AAAAH!_ ” she yells again, cutting Dowoon off.

               She takes a deep breath, holds it until she visibly looks like she’s gonna pass out, then releases it in a loud breath.

               “Ugh, I hate feelings,” she says, shaking her arms and shivering. “They overcomplicate every single simple situation.”

               “I—I guess?” Dowoon lets out an unsure laugh, though he feels somewhat relieved? She seems fine, at least?

               “You could've just lived your life with no worry and no drama, but nooo, feelings have to ruin everything.” Jieun suddenly steps on the bench, makes a makeshift megaphone with her hands, and yells around her, “Hey! This is a P.S.A.! Don’t fall in love! It’s a trap!”

               “J-Jieun, get down,” Dowoon says, wanting to hide in himself and trying to pull her down. “You're embarrassing me.”

               Thankfully (thankfully), she does sit back down, flopping onto the bench with a loud breath.

               “Phew! That got everything out of my system—sorry about that, my son,” she says, patting Dowoon’s back. “Good Ol’ Jieun’s back and on track.”

               “Oh, thank god,” he mutters under his breath.

               “Was that you yelling, Jieun?”

               They both look up to see Younghyun walking towards them, holding three tall ice cream cones in his hands.

               “I swear I thought I heard your voice yelling something about falling into traps,” Younghyun says, handing her a rather large ice cream cone lathered in a green tea dip.

               “You would be right,” she says, grabbing the cone with eyes for it and it only.

               “May I ask why?” Younghyun gives Dowoon a vanilla ice cream cone (ooh, there's even banana slices on top) before sitting next to him and grabbing his hand.

               Dowoon and Jieun exchange a look, sending each other a silent message. Then, Dowoon turns to Younghyun.

               “No, you may not,” he answers simply, before digging into his ice cream and turning to Jieun.

               Younghyun blinks, watching the two of them talk about permutations, combinations, and all of that stuff Younghyun still doesn't have a fully grasp on. He wonders what exactly they were talking about before this, but just shrugs it off as a “Jieun and Dowoon” thing.

               So, he just scoots closer to Dowoon and focuses on his chocolate ice cream. That Nichkhun guy really does know his stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jieun, my baby girl :((((( dw you'll have the love life you deserve soon :'(
> 
> also lmao special shout-out to 2pm's nichkhun, whos in this fic as the hot guy from thailand who owns an ice cream stall in front of the school ayy lmao
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • i misspelled nichkhun's name so many times in this entire fic OTL NICHKHUN PLS FORGIVE ME
> 
> credits to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	5. Jaehyung and Café Noona (pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyung's attempt at getting Cafe Noona's name. (Or more accurately, his attempt at actually saying something to her.)

_Alright. You can do this. Don't mess up. You can do this._

               Jaehyung can feel all his nerves travelling down his body, settling in the tips of his fingers and making them shake uncontrollably, an invisible sweat trickling down. He can feel his heart beat extra loud, loud, _loud_ —as if it grew in the ten minutes he spent standing in line, taking up all the extra space in his chest and pounding behind it.

               This is usually how “visiting” Café Noona goes for him—feeling all the nerves bubble up inside of him and prepping himself up so he wouldn’t mess up yet again. It’s kind of a tiring process, actually, considering that he always ends up squeaking out whatever words his lips decided to utter, completely deviating from the script he had prepared beforehand (yes, he prepared a script beforehand), and probably, possibly, most likely making Café Noona think he’s the biggest weirdo in the world.

               The worst part of this is probably how Jieun reacts whenever he messes up again.

               Earlier this noon, he had said no to the experience of the ever-famous Nichkhun Horvejkul in favor of the ever-beautiful Café Noona (who right now is, like, one person away and Jaehyung is _not_ freaking out, nope)—Jieun took that to mean that Jaehyung was _finally_ gonna do something and actually show some progress.

               Except he didn’t because he was a doofus and wasn’t even able to say one (1) word to her, ended up buying some over-concentrated strawberry cheesecake float (Jaehyung’s stomach was really, really disappointed in him), and embarrassingly sped away like the coward he was. And Jieun, being the “ever-always-annoyed-at-Jaehyung-because-he-only-had-one-job” best friend she was, gave him a scolding.

               “You better promise me you’ll ask her about at least one thing, alright?” she said, hand-on-her-hips angry as Jaehyung stood in front of her, trying his best not to roll his eyes at her and sigh. He could see Younghyun and Dowoon watching from the sidelines, the former giggling at Jaehyung rather exaggerated and unnecessarily while the latter gave his boyfriend a judging eye.

               Jaehyung almost sighed. “Jieun, honestly—”

               “Do you promise?”

               “Jieun, I swea—”

               “Do. You. Promise?”

               Younghyun suddenly couldn’t take it anymore and burst out laughing, actually almost falling down to the floor; Dowoon had to hold him to keep from doing so.

               “ _Fine._ I promise,” Jaehyung sighed. “Now can you _please_ let me put down this white board?”

               Jieun nodded curtly and he put down the board he was previously holding up above his head, white board marker ink reading, “I, PARK JAEHYUNG, AM THE DUMBEST DUMBO TO EVER DUMB.” Honestly, Younghyun. This wasn’t even that funny.

               Suddenly, the person in front of him finally moves away to eat their tiramisu in peace and Jaehyung is forcibly yanked away from his thoughts, the scene before him like a passage from a really, really famous and probably widely-acclaimed poet from England, or something.

               It was the most beautiful smile he’s ever seen, a smile which belonged to the most beautiful person he’s ever… witnessed? Yeah, witnessed—that’s—that’s a synonym of “see”, right? Anyway, yeah, it was like there was this halo of white that glowed behind her head, painting her in an angelic glow, like the angel she was— _is_. “Is”, not “was”. It’s not like she’s dead or anything. Um, anyway, there were angels singing, whose voices were like silk, and which Jaehyung imagined to also sound like her, even though he’s never actually seen an angel in real lif—or has he? You never know—maybe he actually _has_ met an angel befo—

               Anyway—whatever—Jaehyung saw Café Noona, Café Noona smiled at him, and Jaehyung proceeded to get star-struck like the idiot he is.

               “Hello, welcome to ‘Beauteaful Café’! How may I take your order?” Café Noona says, smiling at him with both her lips and her eyes, looking like an actual goddess and leaving Jaehyung speechless and breathless and every other -less in the world.

               Jaehyung opens his mouth to say something— _Hi, I was hoping to ask when you leave off work because I’ve been wanting to get to know you better and don’t want to bother you much while you’re still working—_ but all that comes out is a very eloquent,

               “Um,” he squeaks out, body stiff.

               He panics, not knowing what to say. All he's practiced beforehand got flung out of his mind and broke down the café door on its way out, leaving his head completely void of any logical sentence. He can feel the seconds pass by painfully slow and he only has enough time for his eyes catch sight of the menu on the counter—he promptly slams a finger on it, not even looking at what the text says.

               “This one,” he says quickly. He starts tapping repeatedly. “I want this one. To-go. Please.”

               The beautiful Café Noona breathes out a laughter, probably thinking how dumb and inferior Jaehyung is. He can already feel the blush creeping up his neck. Ahh, _why_ is he like this? Stupid, stupid, _stupid_.

               “That’ll be 5, 000 won, then, thank you. … Coming right up,” she says with another smile before turning away from the counter to prepare whatever it is Jaehyung ordered. Probably thinking he’s stupid—probably _knows_ he’s stupid by now. Ughhh.

               Jaehyung wants to bang his head on the counter. God, he messed up _again_. Jieun’s gonna give him The Look of Disappointment Paired with Lack of Surprise _again_ , and ugh. Ugh. _Ugh._

               Wait. No. He can still save this. After Café Noona gives him his order, he can ask her about when she gets off. It’s not like anyone’s behind hi—yeap, no one’s behind him right now. He could be all cool-like and pretend as if he isn’t talking to himself and probably making weird expressions on his face. Then, after he asks her, she’ll give him her answer (hopefully) and from there, everything will be smooth-sailing.

               Yeah, that's a good plan. Just gotta calm himself down, mm-hmm.

 _Just ask her when she gets off work, no big deal. “Excuse me, but is it fine to ask when your shift ends? I’d just love to get to know you bette—” Wait, no, not “love”; that’d be coming off too strong. “I just wanted to know you a_ bit _more”; yeah, that sounds about right. Deep breaths. Deeeeep breaths. You can do this, Jae. Believe in yourself, just like those cat posters Jieun put up in your room against your will. Believe!_

               “Here’s your order, sir,” Café Noona says, coming over the counter with a plastic cup of what looks like a combination of a chocolate and caramel drink, complete with whipped cream and square brownies—Jaehyung has to stop himself from cringing; his taste buds are more accustomed to the bland.

               “Th-thank you,” he stutters, gingerly grabbing the drink in one hand.

               “Always a pleasure to serve you,” she says, smiling sweeter than his drink and absolutely making Jaehyung’s insides into mush.

 _This is your chance. No one's behind you; you won't hold up the line. It's now or never, Jae. Now. Or_ never _._

               “U-um,” Jaehyung starts before Café Noona can leave. She turns back with a questioning smile.

_Excuse me, is it okay to ask when your shift ends? It’s just that I want to get to know you a bit better, if you'd let me._

               Jaehyung gives her a smile of his own, confident.

               “Actually, it’s nothing—have a great day!” he says before turning away and leaving the café, entire face burning with embarrassment.

               He can already see Jieun shaking her head, disappointed but not surprised.

 

Jaehyung smacks his head against the bus window repeatedly, berating himself for being the idiot he is. He's pretty sure the other passengers are annoyed at him as he had been at this for five minutes now, but he's too caught up in his regret to really care.

               God, what was he thinking? That was the perfect opportunity to ask her about anything—when her shift ends, what her number is, what her _name_ is—it was literally the best time to ask any of those and he blew it! He really freaking blew it!

               He stops abusing his poor head and settles for groaning out loud, dragging his face down with his hands and back up over his head, messing up his already-messed-up hair. He’s an idiot. A first-class idiot. Dear god, how is he going to face Jieun? He promised her he would finally ask Café Noona about _something_. He _promised_ her. And he knows how much Jieun values promises.

               “If you can't keep it, don't say it,” she once said back in middle school, wagging a finger. “And if you’re going to break it in the end—”

               “Don’t make it, then?” Jaehyung guessed.

               “No,” she corrected. “I’ll break your limbs instead.”

               He can’t lose his legs now. It’s what gives him his extra height.

               He starts hitting his head against the window again. Better start with the punishment now than later. Maybe if Jieun sees Jaehyung’s pitiful state, she'll let him off easy. (Not likely, but he likes to be positive.)

               “Hey, you'll get a concussion if you keep that up.”

               Jaehyung stops his head-hitting-the-bus-window tirade and looks up to whoever… said… that…

               It’s Café Noona, in full Café Noona glory, standing in front of him with that beautiful smile of hers, the angelic halo and singing still surrounding her. And she isn't wearing her barista uniform from the café either, no, she's wearing casual clothes, a simple ribbon shirt and jeans. Jaehyung had never known how beautiful a simple ribbon shirt and jeans could be until now.

               “Hey, did you hear me?” she asks, laughing a little.

               “Huh? O-oh, yeah,” Jaehyung stutters, snapping out of his reverie. _Be cool. Be cool._ “I just love banging my head against bus windows.” _What the hell, Jae._

               Noona laughs again, the sound like music to his ears. “Noted. Anyway, would it be fine to sit next to you? All the other seats are taken.”

               A thousand exclamation points fill up his entire brain, and he has to stop himself from yelling out his “Y-yeah. S-sure. I don’t mind.”

               Noona thanks him with another smile, blessing him before sitting on the seat next to his, placing her bag on her lap and looking forward.

               Jaehyung’s going to faint; he really is.

               Noona’s right here, right _here_ , with her hair tied in a neat ponytail and a pink blush dusted on her cheeks, lips in perfect tint. She’s right here, sitting next to him, sitting prettily as if she’s a light from above radiating his dark shadow life that’s like sad or something—you know what? It’s already been established that Jaehyung sucks at these kinds of poetic bull that Younghyun keeps pulling from under his sleeve, so let’s all just agree that Café Noona is a perfect angel with no flaws whatsoever.

               Wait a minute—isn't this Jaehyung’s chance to ask Noona the things he's been wanting to ask? Holy duck, he can't mess this up. Crud, crud, what should he start with? Her phone number? No, that's a bit too forward. When her shift ends? That might be a weird topic when they're not at the café in the first place. Maybe her na—

               “You’re one of the regulars at the café, right?” Noona suddenly asks, and Jaehyung steels himself, suddenly feeling small.

               “Y-y-yes, I am,” he stutters, nervous beyond measure.

               “It’s such a coincidence to meet you here,” she says, laughing a little. “I don't usually meet one of my customers outside of work.”

               Jaehyung chuckles, trying not to sound nervous, though his laugh itself might have confirmed that fact. (Great going, Jae.)

               “W-well, I didn't think you knew me at all, much less remember I’m one of your customers,” he says, honest, shrugging a little.

               “Actually, you're the one I remember the most,” she says with a laugh. _WHAT!!!_

               “What?” he asks, surprised. “No way; that’s not true.” He shakes his head, unbelieving.

               “It is. You don't really make it hard, if I’m being honest. You always order something different every time. I’ve been trying to figure out your favorite drink, but you've never ordered the same thing twice. It’s been baffling me for weeks now, actually.”

               She laughs again, and Jaehyung lets himself laugh a little, too. He’d been too focused on getting Noona to notice him that he never actually thought of the orders, always ending up picking a random thing off the menu. He can’t believe that’s how Noona noticed him.

               “Also, you hold up the line a lot.”

               Oh, right. There was that.

               “Ahh, I’m really, really sorry about that,” he apologizes, feeling embarrassed all over again. “I-I just freeze up every time I look at y—make an order. I’m really, really sorry!”

               “It’s fine; it’s fine,” she reassures him. “You've been improving lately, actually. You don't hold up the line as long as you used to.”

               Jaehyung lets out a breezy laugh. “I hope I haven't been much trouble.”

               “Not really. It’s actually nice to see you at the café; it means that I make the orders well enough to bring customers back, especially a customer who doesn't order the same thing all the time.”

               She grins this time, and Jaehyung feels a tiny smile come up his face, his nervousness slowly disappearing. Noona… Talking with Noona is a lot more comfortable now that’s he’s really talking to her. It’s… it’s actually nice. It’s really, _really_ nice.

               “U-um—” Jaehyung starts, hesitant. “This might be a weird question, but…”

               Noona tilts her head a bit, questioning.

               “But when do you usually get off work?” he finally asks, feeling his heart beat loudly in his chest. He’s said it. He’s finally said it. “B-because, t-t-to be honest, I’ve been wanting t-t-t-t-t-to know you a bit more b-b-because you just seemed like such a nice person, a-a-and, u-u-uh, y-yeah…?”

_You done ducked up, Jae. You done ducked up and now she thinks you're weird and she's gonna avoid you for the rest of your li—_

               “Oh, I usually get off at five in the afternoon on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On Mondays and Sundays, I get off at twelve,” she answers with ease, smiling at him.

               “… _Oh_ ,” Jaehyung squeaks. “I… see… th-thank you for that information.”

               “How about you? I’ve noticed you usually come at the shop either at lunch or late in the afternoon when it's a weekday, but you come around lunchtime when it's a Saturday. Do you work part-time, too?”

               “O-oh, w-well, no.” Jaehyung scratches his neck. “Actually, I’m a high school student, so those are the only times I’m free.”

               “… You're a high school student?” she asks after a pause, looking surprised.

               “Yeah. I’m in my last year.”

               Café Noona hums in response, seemingly thinking of something, before smiling at him once more.

               “Well, that'd make me your noona, then,” she says. “I’m in my second year of college.”

               “Woah, really?” he says in awe. “That’s so cool.”

               “Not really,” she says with a laugh. “The college life isn’t all that glamorous; it’s a bit difficult, actually. But nothing I can't handle.”

               “Well, I hope _I’ll_ be able to handle it. My older sister’s been telling me it’s like walking into the first gates of the Underworld.”

               “Well. I don’t want to scare you, but…” Café Noona suddenly looks at him, dead serious. “It’s a lot worse than that.”

               They stare at each other for a moment.

               Then, they burst out laughing at the same time, Jaehyung feeling completely at ease. Café Noona giggles a bit more and Jaehyung feels his heart skip a beat a bit, trying hard to push down the grin on his face.

               When she giggles, it’s like light radiating from above. When she smiles, it’s like every piece of darkness melts away. When she looks at him, it’s blinding. She’s an angel; he’s just a human.

               He reaches out a hand.

               “My name is Park Jaehyung, eighteen years old,” he introduces himself.

               Café Noona smiles at him before taking his hand, smiling widely.

               “It’s nice to meet you, Park Jaehyung.”

 

_Riiing._

_Riiing._

_Riiing._

_Rii—_

               “ _What do you want, loser?_ ” Jieun answers from the other end of the line. “ _I’m watching Unnies right now, so this better be importa_ —”

               “Go Areum,” Jaehyung answers, grinning widely.

               “ _Huh?_ ”

               “Go Areum,” Jaehyung repeats. “That’s her name. Areum.”

               It’s silent on the other line.

               Then—

               “ _Holy flipping nugget crackers paired with salsa I personally made with my grandmother_.”

               Holy flipping nugget crackers paired with salsa Jieun made personally with her grandmother, indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> areum is such an angel :') sdhfdalhlk the actress for her in the mvs is so beautiful i CANNOT i am the KILIG
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • original summary was supposed to be "Jaehyung fails at his attempt to get Cafe Noona's name, but on the way home, he gets something even more important" but i felt it was too spoiler-y :P  
> • i named her areum because areum (아름) in korean means beauty and she is the epitome of that, but also because I CANT FIND HER REAL NAME ANYWHERE  
> • also yes, jieun is watching unnies slam dunk. i have never watched it before, but i feel like its the type of show jieun would love to watch
> 
> shout-out to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	6. Dowoon & Yena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dowoon recalls what happened on the third night he locked himself up in his room.

Dowoon leans on the counter with both his arms stretched out in front of him as his chin rests on the solid surface, staring at his phone screen where a plethora of messages are popping up from the group chat.

**park jaehyung's progress board**

 

jiji  
HOLY FLIP I SWEAR TO GOD HOLY FLIP I CANT BELIEVE IT I REALLY CANT BELIEVE IT YOU ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING  4:31

 

jaejae   
I KNOW I KNOW HOLY FLIP  4:31

 

jiji   
HOLY FLIIIIIP AGSGSKSKSL JAEEEEE MY MANNNN MY BROOOOO #proud  4:32

 

youngyoung   
um, what’s the # for  4:32   
also, what does agsgsksksl mean? is this another one of those acronyms?  4:34

 

dodo  
younghyun pls  4:34

 

youngyoung  
please do what  4:34

               Dowoon smiles to himself, unable to push down the tiny giddy feeling in his chest as Younghyun sends the chat a series of “???” while the others (still) scream about Jaehyung’s apparent meeting with Café Noona. Oh, Younghyun. Oh, sweet, sweet, and endearingly outdated-on-the-trends Younghyun. You certainly are a wonder to this world.

               “Who’s that? Your boyfriend?”

               Dowoon looks up to see his mother walking over from the kitchen with a teasing smile; Dowoon spots the pressure cooker left on the electric stove.

               “No,” Dowoon grumbles, forcing his smile down to a frown and ignoring his blush. “I’m just talking to some friends.”

               A pause. Dowoon’s mother sits on the stool across him.

               “… _And_ Younghyun,” he finishes, burning all over.

               His mother laughs a little and he glances up to see her smiling down at him.

               “It’s so nice you found a group of people you can connect with,” she says, patting Dowoon’s hair for a bit. “You used to despise being with the other kids when you were younger.”

               Dowoon hums in response, recalling.

               “Younghyun’s been taking good care of you, I assume?” she asks with a smile.

               Dowoon looks down, feeling another blush come on at her wording. Still, he nods small, unable to deny it for a second.

               “That boy really is a wonder, isn't he?” she says, seemingly lost in thought. “Hardworking, kind, sincere… Just like your father.” She turns to him with a smile. “He’ll be a great addition to the family.”

               Dowoon buries his face into the surface of the counter, reaching the limit of his blushing meter.

               “ _Mother_ ,” he says, voice muffled.

               He hears her giggle a bit before they hear a sudden high-pitched sound coming from the kitchen.

               “Oh, dear, the beef!” she exclaims a little, standing up and walking over to the stove in a hurried pace. “I do hope this doesn’t mean the pot will explode like the last one.”

               Dowoon watches her fuss over the pressure cooker, looking a little lost, not having cooked in a while. He puts his phone down and leans on the counter a little more, losing himself in his thoughts. If his father were here, he’d calm his mother down with a relaxed tone, telling her there’s nothing to worry about. He’d show her exactly what she should do, and beckon Dowoon to come over once everything’s all done and cooked. Dowoon’d be already watching over the two of them, wondering when he’d finally be allowed in the kitchen. They’d eat the food on the counter, and Dowoon would try his best not to spill anything because his mother always told him, “A good boy is a tidy boy, Dowoon.”

               And they’d laugh because his father would make silly faces. And his parents would bring Dowoon up to his room because he fell asleep while they did the dishes. And the next day he’d wake up in bed, knowing that a few steps out and down he’d see the both of them, ready to make the day great again.

               His eyes train down to the counter, to a barely visible dent in the wood, and he remembers. The third day of when he locked himself in his room.

               The space was a dark place and his mind was darker. Every single word she said outside the door made Dowoon want to scream out loud and punch holes into the walls. But he didn’t. Because he wouldn’t. He promised himself he wouldn’t ever.

               He hadn't seen her in years. _Years_. He was left to live in this stupid house alone with no one to talk to and no one to lean on, and even though she still lived here, she might as well have been gone. Just like him. Just like his father whom he lost to a car accident that shouldn't have happened. Not when all Dowoon was doing was waiting for him to come home, sitting on the couch of the first floor living room, middle school exam paper marked with a red “one hundred” in his hands, neat and smooth.

               When Dowoon heard the news, his ears couldn't process a single word. He didn't understand. He couldn't hold a grasp on it. Who was this person saying these things? Where was his father? He was supposed to be here by now. Dowoon was going to show him his perfect score.

               It was as if his mind couldn't accept it, even though his body seemed to. Tears were streaming down his face. There was something in his chest pounding against his ribs and begging to be let out. And his fists had somehow crumpled the paper in his hands, inadvertently ripping it apart.

               His mother was a sobbing, screaming mess, crouching down on the floor and crying into her knees, the stranger who came to their house trying to console her. Even though he didn't understand why his father wasn't home, he understood well enough to know his mother needed him to comfort her, put a hand on her back like his father always did.

               “M-Mother, it’s okay,” he tried, not understanding why he's stuttering. He put a hand out, placed it on her back. “Father will be home soo—”

               He was pushed back by a hand, almost stumbling to the floor. The sobs became louder, the cries became harder to bear, and Dowoon was staring straight at this woman, who never hit him before, not even once. He was watching her fall apart and decided, at that very moment,

_I don’t want to fall apart like that, too._

               They attended the funeral a week later, a crowd of people—half of which Dowoon never met or seen before—surrounding them, crying their own cries and sobbing their own sobs.

               Dowoon’s mother was standing next to him, face not once being empty of tears since that night—if ever Dowoon even saw her—crying as hard as the others, maybe even more.

               Dowoon. Dowoon was tearless. He supposed he shouldn't be. But he didn't want to cry like her. He didn't want to fall apart like her. He didn't want to end up like her.

               The first thing she did when they went home that day was to go to her home and close the door. Dowoon’s stomach was grumbling, and normally he'd ask her or his father to cook up something. And normally, they'd respond with, “Of course, Dowoon. I’ll cook anything you want.”

               But it wasn’t a normal day that day, so he went to the kitchen and ate some cold leftover chicken on his own, leaving the refrigerator open, spilling a bit of sauce on his funeral outfit.

               He attended school on his own. He didn't stop to wait by the gate when the day was over. He was greeted with an empty house when he went home, the lights still off. And he opened the refrigerator and ate whatever was available.

               One day, when Dowoon was walking down the stairway, he spotted his mother by the refrigerator, putting something inside.

               When she noticed him, she said, “I’m going back to work today. You can eat whatever is in the fridge. Get to school safe. I love you.”

               And she sped away, grabbing her bag from the counter and repeatedly checking her watch, not stopping to give him a kiss on the cheek like she used to.

               When he opened the refrigerator, he saw that it was filled with foods from various restaurants, obviously ordered by phone with the way they were still packed.

               He ate one chicken leg and drank half a bottle of banana milk before going back up to his room. It was a Sunday.

               That was one of the last times Dowoon had ever seen her. Another was when she brought her co-workers over to discuss something at work, filling the room with nothing but monotonous noise. Another was when they took a picture to hang by the hallway in the second floor, something the family used to do every year; they didn't do it again after that.

               He was enrolled into a new high school by his mother’s personal assistant. The refrigerator would already be filled up to the brim by the beginning of a new week. And every birthday, Dowoon would walk down to a note on the counter reading, “My son, happy birthday. I love you. Mother,” and sitting next to a pile of cash twice or thrice the amount of his weekly allowance.

               He started leaving the house occasionally on the weekends to go wherever his feet lead him to, not really paying attention as to where it was. He’d walk around one of the malls and buy whatever his wallet could afford, play at a different arcade every time, and sit in the middle of the park until late in the night, until there was no longer any person in sight.

               Then, he'd return home and feel like he never left the park in the first place.

               But, then. Someone stopped a hand from hitting him in an arcade. Someone held his hand and ran with him in the cold of the night, not looking back even once. Someone forced him out of his bed two days later and waved at him from the gate, smile ever-present on their face. Someone walked him to school, talked to him between classes, ate with him at the rooftop, texted him when he was out of class, and walked him back home. They took care of him when he was sick and kissed him on the forehead to make him feel better. They cooked him chicken soup and it became his favorite, and they sang him a song and it was his favorite.

               They made him feel home at a place that wasn’t even his own. They made him want to take a step forward as long as they were there beside him. They made him smile under bedsheets he covered over himself to hide his burning face, made him feel fuzzy whenever they forgot to let go of his hand, made him wish they wouldn’t ever.

               And he loved every second of it. He loved every second of him being with him even though he didn’t need to. He loved how every day with him felt like being so high up in the clouds that he was determined not to fall.

               But you can’t walk on clouds. They’re aerosols made of liquid droplets and frozen crystals. And Dowoon had forgotten that fact, thinking he could step down, forgetting that the world could either come crashing down on you or have you crash into it, gravity pulling, dragging you down, down, down.

               Seeing her again was like that. Realizing that everything was too good to be true. Too happy to keep being happy. He forgot how easily life could break you even when you’d glued in and fixed all the pieces.

               He hated every second of it. He hated every second of her never being there when she should’ve and hated how she was here now. He hated caring and hated not wanting to care. He hated not seeing her and seeing her all the same. He hated that she was just outside the door, coercing him to eat something, telling him she cooked something for him.

               He hated that she talked with Younghyun. He hated that she didn't let him say goodbye.

               He had muted his phone, not wanting to see any of the words Younghyun sent his way. He didn't want to hear his voice. He didn't want to see his face.

               If he did, he'd surely fall apart.

               And he didn't want to fall apart just like her.

_Knock. Knock._

               “Dowoon. It’s your mother again. Please, come out. I cooked your favorite. Beef soup.”

 _That’s not my favorite, Mother. It’s not my favorite, anymore_.

               Every part of his body was aching for something to eat, the bottles of banana milk, oranges, and snacks he had stacked inside not enough to sustain him. But he couldn't fall apart. He couldn't right now. Not now. Not now.

               “… Dowoon, I’m sorry.”

               Silence.

               “Dowoon, I know you must hate me right now. But please. Please listen to what it is I have to say. You can hate me even after this. But please, just listen.”

               Silence. An intake of breath.

               “Three days ago, there was someone at work. A little boy. His father was one of my employees who had just then gone into a bad accident and wasn't able to go home. And that boy. That little boy. He was crying in the office, looking for his father, wondering where he was, why he didn't pick him up at school.

               “At that moment, I… I realized that that little boy was you when your fa… when your father died. That boy was you back then. Seeing that boy missing his father, crying for him, asking for him—it made me realize how badly I’d been treating you, trying to get over my misery, too caught up in my grief.

               “I was trying so hard to forget him that I forgot about you, too. I didn’t realize that when I lost a husband, you lost a father, too.

               “Dowoon, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry I've been hurting you and not treating you as a mother should. I should've been there for you. I should've been hugging you and bringing you to school and cooking for you.

               “But I didn't do any of that. I didn't do any of it. I’m sorry. Dowoon, I’m so, so sorry. Please, Dowoon, I just want you to tell you that I want to start again. I want to be your mother again. I want to make up for everything. I want to give you the love I should have been giving you these years. I want to give you the love you deserve.”              

               It’s still silence. Still silence.

               “Dowoon, if… if you aren’t able to forgive me, then please. Please, at the very least, that boy—keep that boy with you. Keep him close and never let him go.

               “I've forgotten his name, but… Dowoon, I'm glad you met that boy. Even though you lost a mother, at the same time you gained a friend. Who cares so much for you. Who was so angry for you even though he didn’t try to show it. Someone who loves you. Loves you unconditionally.

               “I promise you, Dowoon. Even if you will never forgive me, I will make sure you don't lose that boy. You deserve that kind of compassion. You deserve to be cared for. And I believe that boy is what you deserve.

               “Dowoon, if I cannot be your happiness, I just hope for him to be yours.”

               Silence.

               “I’m sorry, Dowoon. I love you. I promise I still do.”

               Silence.

               Then steps. Then a few more.

               Then the sound of a door unlocking. Then the sound of the door opening.

               She was standing. He was expecting for her to be crouching on the ground, but she was standing. She was standing in front of him, staring at him with wide, glossy eyes. And Dowoon looked back, his voice coming out in a low whisper.

               “Kang Younghyun,” he said.

               “What?” she asked, voice soft, cheeks tear-stricken.

               “His name is Kang Younghyun. So, you won't forget.”

               They stared at each other for a few moments, his… his _mother_ standing, hesitant.

               Then Dowoon pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing so hard that he was certain she might break, but he didn't care. Tears were falling down his face, but he didn't care. She was shorter than he remembered but he didn't care.

               He didn't care. He was starting to care all over again.

               He felt a pair of hands on his back, rubbing comforting circles onto it.

               “I’ve been gone for too long, haven't I?” his mother said soothingly, sniffling a little. “Don’t worry, Dowoon. Mother’s here now.”

               He felt tears waterfall down his face, an overwhelming feeling bubbling up inside of him, spilling out, out, out.

               “Please,” he whispered. “Please don't leave me ever again.”

               “I won’t, Dowoon. I’m here to stay.”

               “Please stay for a long time.”

               “Of course, I will. Anything you want.”

               And he let the tears fall, letting them fall down by gravity for him, fall apart and crash down on the floor instead of him, knowing he wouldn’t need to wait for the time he would any longer.

 

“Oh, it's been a long time since I've cooked using the pressure cooker,” Dowoon’s mother is saying, walking over after appeasing the beef. The sides of the pressure cooker are lined with a gray, bubbly liquid. “I’ve forgotten everything your father has taught me.”

               She sits back on the chair, sighing. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”

               Dowoon hums, still leaning on the counter, the memories keeping him deep in thought.

               “… Mother?” he starts, voice small.

               “Hm? What is it, Dowoon?” She sends him a questioning look.

               “You know I love you a lot, right?” he says.

               She looks at him surprised for a moment, probably taken aback at the seemingly sudden statement, but then gives him a smile, real and genuine.

               “I love you, too,” she says, cupping his cheek fondly and smiling. Dowoon smiles, too.

               “It’s a shame though,” she says, sighing, placing a hand on her cheek.

               Dowoon furrows his eyebrows. “What is, Mother?”

               “No matter how much you tell me you love me, I know there will always be one person you love more,” she says, sighing again. “If only your father was here, then I could be someone's favorite again.”

               “Th-that’s not true,” Dowoon defends himself, shooting up. “You're my mother. Of course, I love you more than Younghyun.”

               “I never mentioned Younghyun.” She looks at him, knowingly. “Why did you assume I was talking about him?”

               “That’s—that’s not— _ugh_.” Dowoon buries his face into the counter again. He hates that he told his mother he liked Younghyun. He hates that she's so all-knowing.

               “It’s alright, Dowoon,” she says with a laugh, patting his hair. “If there's anyone I’ll let you love more than me, it’d be that Kang Younghyun boy for sure.”

               Dowoon sighs before letting a smile appear on his face.

               Well, even if Younghyun _is_ Dowoon’s favorite (which he isn’t; no way), he knows at the very least that there’s room for only one person to be his very close second.

 

_(“He seems to be a really nice boy, that Kang Eun—sorry, what was his name again?”_

_(“Kang Younghyun, Mother.”_

_(“Ah, yes. Kang Younghyun. I’m glad you're friends with him. He seems to care for you a lot.”_

_(“… Does he?”_

_(“It is rather obvious—and you, as well. You seem to care about him a great deal. If I didn't know any better, I’d say you're in love with him!”_

_(“…”_

_(“… Dowoon? Is everything alright?”_

_(“… Um, well, you see—”_

_(“Oh, my word.”_

_(“I-I haven’t said anything ye—”_

_(“Oh, my word; my one and only baby boy is actually having crushes on his classma—oh, my word! And it’s a boy!”_

_(“M-Mother—”_

_(“Well, this certainly kills my dream of choosing a wedding dress for your future wife, but this is fine, too. I suppose I’ll just have to become acquainted with suits instead. Unless Younghyun likes to wear dresses?”_

_(“I—what? No? I don’t think so—wait, why are we—”_

_(“We have to invite his family over for dinner! How does tomorrow night sound?”_

_(“I—what?”_

_(“Great! I’ll start on the preparations. This will be fun—I hope I still remember how to use the stove. Now, where is that cookbook?”_

_(“Wh-what? M-Mother? W-wait!”)_

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> family is important, ok. very, very important.
> 
> also lmao we're revisiting the ao3 chatfic format of DEATH lmaoooo this chapter is rly testing my amateur coding(?) skills; thank god for w3schools.com
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • The Chatfic Format of Death was first observed in the [bonus chapter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10903128/chapters/24470733#workskin) of my bts jikook fic "I Give It To You". Needless to say, I dread it every time its potential is arised in a possible fic.  
> shout-out to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	7. Jaehyung & Dowoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first afternoon after Jieun introduced Dowoon and Younghyun to Jaehyung.

Jaehyung spots that kid, the smart one from their class, leaning against the walls of the hallway and looking as if he's waiting for someone.

               “Hey, Dowoon,” he starts with a wave, and the kid turns to him, looking a bit surprised.

               “Oh, hey, uh— Jaehyung,” Dowoon replies, the name sounding a bit awkward on his tongue, probably because it's the first time he's ever said it.

               “You waiting for your best friend, too?” Jaehyung asks, standing next to him.

               “Best fr—oh, you mean Younghyun?”

               “Yeah; who else?” Jaehyung crosses his arms, relaxed. Then he remembers, “Oh, wait—that’s right; you two are dating. Do you prefer ‘boyfriend’?”

               At that, Dowoon turns a bit red, and Jaehyung notices the color begin to spread from his ears first and foremost.

               “Um, ‘best friend’ is fine,” he mumbles, scratching his jaw.

               “Okay.” Jaehyung nods. “‘Boyfriend’, it is.”

               Jaehyung watches Dowoon splutter, embarrassed, and he cracks a smile. Jieun had been the one to introduce Dowoon to him, alongside his boyfriend—Younghyun, he remembered his name was. Jaehyung was literally dragged by the girl towards the two of them as she called out, “Hey, you guys, I’ve got someone to show you!”

               “Ji, honestly, stop dragging me every single time you want to bring me somewhere; I can walk on my own,” Jaehyung grumbled, trying to release Jieun’s iron grip on his neck, but even though the girl is shorter than him, he is merely a noodle in her hands.

               “Uh, hi?” said one of the two, who raised his hand in a simple wave, a small polite smile on his face. The kid next to him just kept looking at Jaehyung with wide eyes, as if he didn’t know what to make of him; Jaehyung noticed the two of them were holding hands.

               Jieun finally released her grip, leaving Jaehyung heaving in relief.

               “Younghyun, Dowoon, this is Jaehyung, my best friend,” she introduced, gesturing to him with both hands.

               “Ay… yo,” Jaehyung greeted weakly, still trying to catch his breath, saluting to them with two fingers.

               “And Jaehyung, this is the boy who broke my heart—” she gestured to the taller boy— “and this is the boy he is dating.” She gestured to the shorter one.

               A beat of silence.             

               “Dating?” Jaehyung exclaimed.

               “Broke your _heart_?” The second boy turned to his boyfriend accusingly.

               “I—what,” the first boy stated.

               Jieun smiled, clasping her hands together.

               “This is gonna be a fun friend circle.”

               In all honesty, though, Jaehyung’s never thought twice about the two prior to their tiny little meet and greet at lunch today. He knows that Dowoon is the top student of their class _and_ grade level, favored by all teachers, and knows that Younghyun has a reputation of skipping class and being somewhat of a feared individual among the students; he literally looks like he can kill someone. But the fact that Jieun hangs out with them and the fact that the two are actually _dating_ each other leaves Jaehyung with so many questions unanswered.

               For example: how on earth does a guy who splutters at just the mention of the word ‘boyfriend’ have someone like Kang Younghyun as one?

               “U-um, that’s a bit…” Dowoon says, still red. “I-I mean, he _is_ my b-b-boyfriend, but…”

               “But you're still not used to calling him that?” Jaehyung asks. He guessed that the two only recently started going out.

               “K-kind of.”

               Jaehyung nods, understanding. “The overwhelming feeling of love—I can understand that.”

               Dowoon splutters again, and Jaehyung grins a little.

               “You must like him a lot, though,” he comments, leaning against the wall.

               “Um, well, of course I do.” Dowoon’s voice got quieter towards the end of his sentence, looking embarrassed. “He… really doesn't make it all that difficult.”

               That sentence surprised Jaehyung a bit. All he's ever heard about Younghyun is that he's an intimidating, scary kid that he should stay away from or else he'd face some consequences or whatever. And, well, he has to admit he believed that for the longest time. He was with Jieun when Younghyun bumped into her in the hallway, saw him look back with an angry look in his eyes and turn away as if it was nothing—you can’t really blame Jaehyung for thinking Younghyun was a jerk.

               But seeing Dowoon try to push down a smile on his face at the mere mention of him makes Jaehyung wonder if all of that was just a misunderstanding. He wonders what kind of person Younghyun really is.

               … Or maybe Dowoon is just really into dating jerks—who knows.

               “Well, I hope I don't fall in love with him, too, once I get to know him better,” Jaehyung says, shrugging.

               “L- ‘Love’ is a bit—” Dowoon stops. “Wait— are you—”

               “I’m straight.”

               “Oh. Oh, okay.” Jaehyung sees the sigh of relief Dowoon stifled and laughs to himself; he really does like his boyfriend a lot.

               “You know, I always have to wait for Jieun all the time when school ends,” Jaehyung says, changing the subject. “She has this habit of dumping her entire bag on her desk during class hours, so she has to put them all back in by the end of the day.”

               “That’s… unproductive.” Dowoon frowns.

               “Right?” Finally, someone who agrees with him without teasing him (@Jieun); Jaehyung likes this guy already. “Is it the same for you, or does Younghyun just move slow?

               “No, no, nothing like that.” Dowoon waves a dismissive hand. “He just had something to do at the faculty. Um, had to retake a test.”

               “Is it Math.”

               “It’s English, actually. He’s pretty good at Math; just needs to memorize formulas better.”

               “Oh, I’m pretty good at English.”

               “Really?”

               “Really. I hate Math, though.”

 _Sigh_. “Why does everyone hate Math?”

               “Are you saying you like Math?”

               “I am saying I like Math, yes.”

               “Ew.”

               “At least I don’t have to worry about getting Ms. Yoon's Stare of Death.”

               Dowoon grins at Jaehyung, finally looking relaxed talking to him, and Jaehyung grins back. He can see why Jieun likes him now; they're alike in a lot of ways.

               “You know, you're pretty cool, Dowoon,” Jaehyung says. “I can get why Jieun wanted us to be friends.”

               Dowoon looks surprised. “She did?”

               “Yeah. Said something about making sure you and your boyfriend had more than just one friend.” Jaehyung shrugs. “Well, now, you've got two.”

               Dowoon blinks at him for a moment. Then, an embarrassed smile finds its way up his face.

               “That’s, uh…” Dowoon nods. “That's really nice of the two of you.”

               “Don't start thinking we're angels or something, though, because if we ever invite you guys to our monthly game night, our friendship _will_ be tested,” Jaehyung says, completely serious.

               Dowoon laughs at that and Jaehyung does, too.

               He leans against the hallway, smiling to himself. Dowoon’s a pretty good kid, despite being an obvious tsundere. Shy, but honest; easily embarrassed but not undenying. More than just “the kid the teachers favor above all and keeps getting perfect scores in everything”. And if Dowoon was already this cool and nice, Jaehyung guesses his boyfriend must be, too.

               But he supposes he’ll just have to get to know Younghyun better to find out.

               “By the way,” Jaehyung starts, “I noticed you have a pin of Twice on your bag.” He points at the pink enamel pin depicting the group’s logo in white.

               “Huh? Oh, that.” Dowoon removes his bag to get a better look. “I’m actually not a fan. Younghyun’s the one who gave me it. He’s the one who likes Twice.”

               Already off to a good start—point one for Younghyun. “Who's his favorite?”

               “Someone named Jihyo, I think?”

               Jaehyung grabs Dowoon’s shoulders suddenly, surprising him.

               “I take it back—I am totally in love with your boyfriend,” he says, dead serious.

 

Younghyun and Jieun watch from the corner of the hallway as Jaehyung gets into Dowoon’s space and starts talking about everything he loves about Twice rather loudly, making everyone in the hallway look at him. Dowoon looks scared and concerned, looking around as if he wishes the person he's waiting for was already here.

               “Your best friend is very… outgoing,” Younghyun says to Jieun, test paper in his hands. (Seventy-eight percent—nice.)

               “He is,” she says, a proud mom.

               “Also, how are you here with me? I remember you were having an extra hard time fixing your stuff today.”

               “I’m magic, Younghyun. You should know that, by now.”

               Younghyun shrugs. He guesses he should.

               He watches Jaehyung as he keeps talking.

               “—yone knows Momo is the greatest dancer of the entire world—I mean, have you _seen_ her solo dance in Likey?” Jaehyung almost squeals.

               “I—yes, I have,” Dowoon squeaks. “Younghyun showed me.”

               “So, you agree that Momo cannot be bested at the art of dance by anyone or anything or anyone?”

               Dowoon muffles his screams.

               “Okay, this is getting out of hand,” Younghyun says, walking towards them. “Dowoon! I’ve come to rescue you! Also, I got seventy-eight percent on the test.”

               “Only seventy-eight?” Dowoon turns to him, scandalized.

               “What do you mean, ‘only seventy-eight,’” Younghyun and Jaehyung say at the same time. They turn to each other, pointing a finger at each other in acknowledgment and in amazement.

               “Jihyo stans?” Jaehyung asks.

               “Jihyo stans,” Younghyun agrees. They take a high-five, needing no more introduction than this.

               Dowoon already grabbed Younghyun’s test from his hands, scanning the paper with furrowed eyebrows. “Younghyun, I keep telling you this— ‘adulthood’ is different from ‘adultery’,” he says.

               Jaehyung whistles. “Ooh, that is the worst mistake you could possibly ever make.”

               “Ugh, I _know_ ,” Younghyun whines, grabbing Dowoon’s free hand. “I forgot like half of what we reviewed.”

               “Well, maybe if you stopped staring at me whenever I tutor you, you'd remember something.”

               “I can't help it; you're too beautiful.”

               Dowoon slaps the paper onto Younghyun’s face, ears visibly red yet again.

               “Do you want me to tutor you this weekend again or not,” Dowoon says, removing his hand; the paper stays on Younghyun’s face.

               “Yes, please,” he says, voice muffled.

               “Man, I thought Jieun was joking, but she was right,” Jaehyung suddenly says, and the both of them turn to him, remembering he exists.

               “What do you mean?” Younghyun asks, removing the test from his face.

               “You two act like a married couple,” Jaehyung says. “Specifically, one’s that’s been together for twenty years minimum.”

               Jieun watches the two of them splutter at the same time, and smiles to herself, satisfied with her work.

               She nods to herself and leaves the scene in a puff of glitters, ready to take on her next mission as a fairy princess.

               (Okay, so she just sprinkled gold glitter in the air from her pocket and snuck back in the classroom without Jaehyung noticing—whatever, let a girl dream.)

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN FACTS  
> • this chapter actually had a different setting in the original version. rather than afternoon, it was supposed to be in the morning, and rather than in the school hallway, it was supposed to be in the classroom. buuut i changed it up and this version turned out better ^^  
> • this was actually the first chapter where i started having scrapped parts OTL. everything before this followed the original plan. (i was planning on posting like a bonus chapter compiling all of the scrapped versions of all the chapters but im still not sure. let me know if you'd want a bonus chapter like that!)  
> • also, jieun is canonically a fairy princess now because i said so  
> • also yes, twice are here as themselves. also blackpink, exo, and bts. every other kpop person out there (except maybe jyp himself, but who knows he's a conspiracy theory in this fic) is a regular citizen :P
> 
> shout-out to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	8. Band practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dowoon and Jaehyung investigate what exactly happens in the band room during Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Dowoon leans against the walls of the school hallway as he watches Younghyun haul out his bass guitar from the classroom, having gone back minutes earlier to retrieve it.

               “Sorry you have to wait for me later, Dowoon,” Younghyun says, walking over with the bass in one hand and loosely grabbing Dowoon’s hand in the other.

               “Stop saying that literally every single Tuesday and Thursday.” Dowoon rolls his eyes, intertwining their fingers.

               “I just wish you were home already,” Younghyun says, pouting a little. “You could be resting right now. Or doing homework. Or eating dinner.”

               Younghyun’s looking at him with a slightly guilty expression, and Dowoon grips his hand tighter.

               “You have band practice; you can't help it,” he says, shrugging.

               Dowoon doesn't really mind that he has to wait for Younghyun because of club activities. It’s not really that big of a deal; it’s usually Younghyun who acts as if he's committing a greater sin towards Dowoon.

               “Is it really okay?” Younghyun had asked when he told Dowoon the first time.

               “Yes, Younghyun; it’s fine. I can just go study in the library.”

               “But you'd go home later.”

               “Mother doesn't mind.”

               “You'd miss dinner.”

               “I can just buy on the way home.”

               “You won't see my beautiful face.”

               Dowoon pressed Younghyun’s cheeks against each other with both hands.

               “I already see it enough as it is,” he said, ears burning. “Now go. You'll be late.”

               Dowoon’s grown used to Younghyun’s worries, but he just wishes he could wish them away and reassure him that he really doesn't mind.

               “Ugh, I just hate not being around you,” Younghyun says, placing his head on Dowoon’s shoulder and rubbing against his neck. “I just wanna be with you forever.”

               Dowoon blushes but pushes the heat down, moving Younghyun away from his shoulder.

               “S-stop that; you're making people look,” he scolds him a little, more out of embarrassment than actually caring what people think. He settles for holding Younghyun’s hand.

               “I don't know whether I want to be with you or make sure you're already home safe,” Younghyun almost whines.

               Dowoon lets that sink in for a few moments. Then he coughs.

               “W-well, if you walk me home later I’d be more than safe, probably, since you're always there for me and stuff,” he mumbles. “And I-I don't know—I _like_ waiting for you. I…  I’d wait for you even until forever, I guess.”

               Dowoon ignores the heat spreading onto his ears. God, this is Younghyun’s fault, always telling Dowoon things like, “Is there anything better than you?” when Dowoon asked which notebook he should buy and, “I never knew the true meaning of beauty until now,” when Dowoon came out of his house in new clothes for a tutoring session. Honestly, Younghyun. Honestly.

               He hears Younghyun breathe out a laughter and Dowoon only has time to glance back at him before he's pressing his lips onto Dowoon’s forehead, making Dowoon’s ears flaming hot.

               A kiss!!! In public!!! At _school_!!! This is literally a major offense in the school handbook!!!

               Fine, okay, the handbook was actually referring to a more “intimate” show of affection but still!!!!!!

               “Really?” Younghyun grins, pulling back.

               “Really,” Dowoon answers, pretending as his grin didn't make him go even more _!!!_.

               “I’ll try to be quicker, then,” Younghyun says with another grin, tiny specks of pink spread out on his cheeks.

               “The last time you did, you had to rearrange the entire band room.”

               “Quicker _and_ careful.”

               Younghyun kisses him on the forehead again, making Dowoon feel all mushy on the inside before bidding him goodbye and leaving.

               Dowoon leans back on the hallway, watching Younghyun’s figure with a tiny smile on his face.

               “You two really have no shame when it comes to PDA, do you?” Jaehyung says beside him.

               Dowoon yelps in surprise, taken aback and involuntarily placing a hand on his heart.

               “How long were you standing there?” he asks, still in the middle of calming down.

               “You were literally talking to me before Younghyun came back from the classroom,” Jaehyung says, and Dowoon flushes again. He must've forgotten about him when Younghyun came in the hallway. “Honestly, Dowoon, you are the smartest kid in our entire grade level, but when your boyfriend’s in the room, you suddenly have a total of one brain cell.”

               “Ugh, stop saying that.”

               “What? Brain cell?”

               “No— _that_. The—the ‘B’ word.”

               “Yeah. _Brain_ cell.”

               “N-no, the other one.”

               “Boyfriend?”

               “Stop _saying_ that.”

               Jaehyung rolls his eyes and to be honest, Dowoon wants to as well, but he's just way too in lo— _like_ with Younghyun.

               “So, what does Younghyun usually do at band, anyway?” Jaehyung asks. “I was planning on joining it, but I missed Club Day. Could've been in Basketball, too.”

               “I don't know, actually. I've never checked. The only thing’s he's ever told me is that he doesn't get along well with the other members of the band.” Dowoon scrunches up his face. “Something about territory?”

               “Huh. I wonder why that is.”

               A few beats of silence.

               “You wanna spy on the band?” Dowoon says.

               “Yes,” Jaehyung answers immediately. “And I’m assuming you do, too.”

               “You assumed right.” Dowoon nods. “Let's get there before Younghyun realizes he went the wrong way and is actually on his way to Youngjae’s chess club.” Dowoon starts pushing Jaehyung.

               “Wait—you _knew_ he was going the wrong way?”

               “Yes.”

               “And you didn't bother to tell hi—”

               “ _Yes_ , I lo— _like_ Younghyun very much—now, let’s go, go, _go_.”

 

Dowoon and Jaehyung stand in the corner of the hallway, the entrance to the Band room only a door away.

               “Has Younghyun entered yet?” Dowoon asks, looking behind him to see if his boyf—frie—companio—soulm—partn— … to see if the aforementioned boy was in the area.

               “Not yet,” Jaehyung answers. “But there are some guys in the Band room already. Probably his bandmates. Let’s go take a peek.”

               They tiptoe towards the Band room, peeking a little inside to see a group of four boys chatting with each other excitedly. Dowoon recognizes two of them, who are from their class: Kim Woosung, a foreigner from LA who’s their second-to-the-top student in English, and Lee Hajoon, who once brought a puppy into the class because it kept following him on his way to school. The other two Dowoon thinks are from Class 2 and 4: Lee Jaehyung (wow, same name as Jae), whom everyone knows as Jeff for some reason, and Park Dojoon, whom everyone knows got the entire Class 4 in trouble because he laughed too loud during the opening ceremony.

               Currently, Park Dojoon is rolling on the floor laughing, chips thrown about on the floor and all over his body.

               “I can’t… believe… you think…” he wheezes, “that Sammy… likes… Jeff…”

               “Doesn't he?” Lee Hajoon asks, looking between them and confused.

               “No, of course not; what are you talking about,” Kim Woosung (presumably “Sammy”) says, indignant. “How did we even get to this topic?”

               “We were talking about whether or not the new song should be sad or hyped, so I told you, ‘I like hyped songs,’ and you responded with, ‘I like you, too,’” Lee Jaehyung says, continuing to throw chips at the still-laughing Dojoon. “And Hajoon asked, ‘Are you two dating?’ and you said, ‘No; why do you think that?’ and he said, ‘You just told Jaehyung you liked him,’ and you said, ‘I didn't say that.’ And then you guys proceeded to fight over it, and so it was revealed that (a) Hajoon secretly shipped the two of us together from the beginning, (b) Dojoon cannot even fathom the idea of you having any sense of emotion, and (c) I literally give zero ducks.”

               “Thanks for the recap,” Woosung says, dryly.

               “You're welcome.”

               “Also, I don’t like you.”

               “Sure, Sam.”

               “Huh,” Jaehyung says as the four boys start going into a lighthearted debate.

               “What is it?” Dowoon asks, keeping his voice low.

               “Nothing, it’s just—I thought these guys would be jerks.”

               “Why’d you think that?”

               “Well, you made it sound like they were a bunch of bullies who hated Younghyun for no apparent reason,” Jaehyung said. “So, I assumed it was like that. But these guys seem friendly.”

               Dowoon thinks about it and realizes Jaehyung’s right. Whenever Younghyun talked about them he always had this “I’m-sad-about-this-but-it’s-not-really-that-big-of-a-deal” expression on his face. Not to mention he always mentioned that “territory” thing. _I wonder why they don't get along._

               Suddenly, Dowoon hears a familiar voice coming from the other side of the hallway.

               “Ugh, I am _not_ going back to the chess club ever again,” Younghyun talks to himself, sounding bitter. “Jinyoung needs to chill.”

               Jaehyung and Dowoon scramble to run to the corner of the hallway they came from, hiding behind the wall just in time.

               “Hope I won’t make Dowoon wait too long,” Younghyun sighs. “Guess I should cut off on my time today.”

               “You’re on his mind twenty-four-seven,” Jaehyung comments. “This is true love indeed.”

               Dowoon ignores him. He sees Younghyun enter the band room, disappearing through the entrance; Dowoon and Jaehyung immediately move closer, trying to hear what's happening.

               “—op saying I like Jaehyung; I don't like Jaehyung!” Woosung is protesting.

               “ _You_ stop saying you don't like Jaehyung; the ship is real!” Hajoon yells back, sounding hurt and surprising Dowoon, because the kid’s voice is usually so mellow.

               “Uh, guys?” Younghyun enters the conversation. “Why are we fighting?”

               Suddenly, a series of loud and abrupt _clang_ s and _bang_ s fill up the room, as if the four boys who were initially there started bumping into the objects nearest to them, taken by surprise.

               “ _Ah_ , it’s Younghyun!” Dojoon screams, followed by another series of _bang_ s.

               “Uh, yeah, it’s m—”

               “We were just—we were just making songs,” Woosung says quickly. Another _thud_. “Ow, um, yeah, that’s—that’s it.”

               “S-so y-you can go to your place now,” Hajoon says, meek voice back. “W-we won't disturb you, promise.”

               “Guys, you're not distu—”

               “Ah, here's the song you gave us last week!” Dojoon says. There's a rustling that makes it sound like he's pulling out a piece of paper from somewhere.

               “Oh, cool. Was it fi—”

               “It’s perfect,” (Lee) Jaehyung says.

               “O-oh? Th-thanks—”

               “It’s perfect there’s nothing wrong with it you’re such a great lyricist we are nothing but inferior maggots under your rule,” (Lee) Jaehyung says, monotone.

               “What? Maggots? That’s not—”

               “A-a-anyway, Y-Younghyun, w-we’ll just keep to ourselves now. We polished all the instruments to your side and we’ll try to not be noisy,” Hajoon says.

               “You guys, you didn’t have t—woah, why are there so many chips on the flo—”

               “ _AAAH_ , we’re sorry; we’re sorry! We’ll clean it up!” they all say in a mish-mash of words that Dowoon almost couldn’t understand with how noisy they were.

               Dowoon inches just a bit closer to the room and peeks to see the four boys frantically trying to clean up their mess rather comically, with Dojoon bumping into literally everything. Younghyun stands at the side holding a sheet of paper in his hands, his bass guitar hanging off his shoulder.

               “Uh, I can hel—”

               “ _Nope_ , it’s fine! You don't have to concern yourself over this— _hahaha_ —you can go over there to your side, so we won't disturb you,” Woosung says, tripping over himself.

               “Oh, okay. Um, good work,” Younghyun says before turning back, and from this angle, Dowoon can see his confused expression. He then shakes his head, probably used to this sort of episode.

               Dowoon and Jaehyung pull back, turning to each other.

               “So… the reason why Younghyun doesn't get along well with the other band members…” Jaehyung starts slowly.

               “… is because they think he’s some scary bully and they’re afraid he’s going to hurt them,” Dowoon finishes, just as slowly.

               A pause.

               “Bruh,” Jaehyung says.

               “Bruh,” Dowoon says back.

 

Dowoon waits outside the school entrance, Jaehyung having already left since Jieun finally found the guy who stole her green tea-flavored creampuff. (“What did you do to him?” “Let's just say he isn't going to be stealing any of my stuff any time soon,” Jieun answered, happily eating creampuffs from a very battered box.)

               It’s already almost 6 o’clock, which means Younghyun is going to unnecessarily run up to Dowoon in three… two… one—

               “ _Ahhh_ , sorry I’m late!”

               Dowoon turns to see Younghyun running up to him; he places his hands on Dowoon’s shoulders when he reaches him.

               “Sorry for making you wait a bit,” he says, catching his breath. “I went the wrong way before I went to the band room. Again.”

               “Chess club?” Dowoon asks, innocently.

               “Yeah, actually,” Younghyun says, surprised. “How’d you know?”

               “Just a guess.”

               Younghyun laughs and removes his hands from Dowoon’s shoulders, pulling back and placing them on his own hips. “Youngjae made me play one round against _Jaebum_ —and he knows Jaebum’s their best player. Can you believe that?”

               Dowoon shrugs. “It probably wouldn’t matter who you went up against; it’d still be the same result.”

               “Wow.”

               “You signed up for a lifetime of this, you know.”

               Younghyun grins at that before grabbing Dowoon’s hand.

               “I guess I did,” he says, and they start to walk.

               As Younghyun starts talking about something concerning a song he started writing, Dowoon notices the four boys from before also about to leave the school building, (Lee) Jaehyung still throwing chips at Dojoon.

               Seeing them, he remembers how they acted when Younghyun entered, how they've probably been acting since day one, notices how they stop abruptly when they catch sight of Younghyun right now.

               Dowoon makes a lightning-fast decision.

               “—as wondering if it was too sad, but sometimes you have to sing from the heart, you kn—”

               Younghyun’s words get cut off as Dowoon pulls him down, kissing him full-front on the lips.

               Dowoon hears a soft gasp from behind him, and he pulls away to see confused stars floating in the galaxy of Younghyun’s eyes.

               “Dowoon?” he starts. “Wh—”

               “YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SUCH A SWEET AND AMAZING B-B-BOYFRIEND!” Dowoon all but yells, ears burning hot, grabbing Younghyun’s hands both for good measure and because he needs something to hold onto.

               “H-huh?” Younghyun blinks, surprised. “Suddenl—”

               “YOU'RE NOT SCARY AT ALL, YOU KNOW! YOU'RE ALWAYS WALKING ME TO SCHOOL AND HOLDING MY HAND AND YOU SAY THINGS THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY, _REALLY_ SWEET EVEN THOUGH IT'S KIND OF EMBARRASSING AND CHEESY SOMETIMES.”

               At this point, there's already a noticeable redness to Younghyun’s face but Dowoon doesn't stop.

               “I KNOW SOME PEOPLE AVOID YOU BECAUSE YOU LITERALLY HAVE A RESTING ‘I WILL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP’ FACE BUT I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU’D NEVER HURT A FLY.

               “SO, IF ANYONE THINKS YOU'RE SCARY AND _TREATS YOU LIKE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE SWEET, AMAZING PERSON YOU ARE_ —” Dowoon said that last part as if he wanted someone to hear it— “THEN THEY CAN GO SUCK IT AND HAVE THE _TOP STUDENT IN OUR GRADE LEVEL_ TESTIFY AGAINST THEM.”

               Dowoon breathes heavily, every part of his body shaky. Younghyun’s staring at him with wide eyes, looking like he doesn't know what to do or say.

“AlsoIwantyoutoknowthatIlikeyouverymuchsodon’tstressovermakingmewaitbecauseifthere’sanyoneI’dwaitforeverforit’dbeyouokay?okay,” Dowoon says before pecking Younghyun on the lips and grabbing his hand to yank him away from the school, stomping away.

               “I—okay?” Younghyun says behind him, sounding confused. “I love you, too?”

               Dowoon glances back to see the other members of the band staring agape at the two of them. He turns back, gripping Younghyun’s hand tighter. This better turn out the way he wanted it to or else he’s gonna regret every single decision he’s ever made in his entire life.

               Well, almost every decision.

 

Dowoon hears a familiar voice talking behind him.

               “—on’t forget to change it from, ‘city nights’ to ‘city lights’,” Younghyun says.

               Dowoon looks behind to see him walking side-by-side with the band, the others looking back, relaxed and with a friendly atmosphere.

               “A’ight, a’ight,” Dojoon says before turning to Woosung, smirking. “But only as long as Sammy doesn't forget he's in love with Jeff.”

               “I am _not_ ,” Woosung says, face burning. “It’s been _two days_ —get over it.”

               “The ship is real, and you can't deny it,” Hajoon says with a fire. “Right, Younghyun?” He turns to him.

               “You _have_ been sending him looks of love since the first day,” Younghyun supplies with a grin.

               Woosung groans as Hajoon high-fives him.

               “Whatever, you guys—I’m quitting the band,” he says, starting to stomp away.

               “But you have to sing the song I wrote especially for you,” (Lee) Jaehyung says.

               Woosung turns back abruptly. “You wrote a song especially for me?”

               “No, but I figured you'd like the sound of it.” (Lee) Jaehyung grins in triumph. The others holler as Woosung turns a bright red.

               Suddenly, Younghyun catches sight of Dowoon and a grin immediately appears on his face.

               “Gotta go now, guys. Get home safe,” he says quickly before running up to Dowoon, grabbing his hand immediately.

               “Are those your bandmates?” Dowoon asks innocently. They nod at Dowoon as they pass by.

               “Yeah! I should introduce them to you sometime; they've been really nice lately for some reason.” Younghyun grins before nudging Dowoon with his shoulder. “But not as nice as you.”

               Dowoon rolls his eyes and starts walking, pushing down the grin trying to crawl its way up his face. “Let’s just go home.”

               Dowoon feels a pair of lips kiss the top of his head, and the grin from before finally successfully appears on his lips.

               “Yeah, let’s.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the softest chapter agsshjdhafhj DOWOON AND YOUNGHYUN ARE IN LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • lmaoooo i put the members of the rose in here because i have such a soft spot for them ahkafjkfhasj i'm still not familiar much with their personalities but i watched like a ton of "get to know the rose" (unhelpful) guides on youtube and now i ship woosung and (lee) jaehyung :) (f my shipping life)  
> • also yes, the youngjae, jinyoung, and jaebum from the chest club are the youngjae, jinyoung, and jaebum of got7 ^^  
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)
> 
> also no i did not post this two hours later than scheduled what are you talking abt //sweats


	9. Study sessions at Jieun's house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exams are coming up and it is up to Jieun and Dowoon to make sure that Jaehyung and Younghyun don't end up failing.

The moment Younghyun walks in Jieun’s living room for their study session with the others, he is met with a really strong wave of déjà vu.

               It’s very cozy, with lots of light and nature-y colors making up its palette. Having already passed by the entrance where he and the others removed their shoes to be replaced by some comfy slippers (Jaehyung already had a personalized one for him, which is a pair of fluffy chicken slippers; the more Younghyun looks at them, the more they look like carbon copies of Jaehyung), Younghyun has a view of the overall setting: a wide living room to the left, open dining room to the right, an archway leading to the kitchen to the far-right, a stairway leading up in front of him, and a hallway from there leading to the back of the house, which looks to be a garden. A lot of the walls are made up of wide glass windows, letting the natural light come in, so there isn’t much need to turn on the artificial ones.

               Seeing all of this in its glory reminds Younghyun of the time when he first saw Dowoon’s gigantic house; this one may not be as big as that, but Younghyun’s mouth is still wide all the same.

               “Nice house, huh?” Jieun says, a knowing smirk on her face. “Made it all on my own.”

               “You made it all on your own?” Dowoon asks beside him, astonished.

               “She’s exaggerating it,” Jaehyung says, flopping down on the couch and placing his bag on the floor.

               “Eh, fine, I am. But I _did_ help Mom and Dad in building it, though,” Jieun says, putting her hands on her hips. “I carried wood for the pillars, stacked hollow blocks, painted the walls—if you see a part on the wall in my room that says, ‘The government is a conspiracy,’ that was me; I embedded that into the wall with my bare hands.”

               “It was with the edge of a cement knife,” Jaehyung says.

               “I still used my hand, though,” Jieun says with a pointing gesture.

               “But still, you did all that?” Dowoon asks.

               “And more,” she says with a wink.

               “She made me go up and down the stairs repeatedly to go get some stuff for her room,” Jaehyung says.

               “And for that, I commend you, my dear best friend.”

               “I couldn’t walk for the rest of the day.”

               “That’s… kind of amazing,” Dowoon says.

               “I always am.” Jieun grins, making an “I’m blooming” pose with her hands. “Oh, I should probably tell Grandmother you guys are here. I’ll be right back.”

               Younghyun turns to look at Dowoon as Jieun leaves the area, yelling, “Grandmother! We got a Code Yellow!” The boy is looking around him, eyes wide as he checks out every part of the room, as if trying to embed the picture of the house into his mind. A tiny smile finds its way up Younghyun’s face as he watches the boy be completely in awe of his surroundings, and he suddenly gets the urge to hold him and hug him forever.

               But Younghyun just settles with nudging him with his shoulder. (For the moment, anyway.)

               “Distracted, huh,” he teases with a smile.

               “Kind of,” Dowoon admits, still looking around him. “I can’t believe Jieun helped with making all this. I don’t even know how to cook rice.”

               “Yeah, it must have been a bit hard.” Younghyun crosses his arms, looking around as well. “There are some hard-to-reach places in the ceilings, and there’s also one part here that looks like it caved in once. A lot of worked probably went in to fixing that.”

               “You know about building houses?” Dowoon asks, turning to him.

               “Just a bit. I work at construction sites, sometimes, for a part-time job. And I help Dad, too.” Younghyun turns to him with a grin. “Fun fact: I almost died once.”

               “That’s not a ‘fun’ fact, you weirdo.” Dowoon punches him in the shoulder lightly; Younghyun laughs a little.

               “It’s fun ‘cause he didn’t die,” Jaehyung suddenly says from the couch.

               Younghyun and Dowoon stare as Jaehyung deepens the furrow in his eyebrows, a permanent frown on his face as he looks at his phone screen, thumb hovering over it. Younghyun leans closer to Dowoon.

               “He’s chatting with Areum-noona, isn’t he,” he whispers.

               “Look at that serious eyebrow—he’s probably having difficulty deciding whether to say, ‘Hi,’ or ‘Hello,’” Dowoon whispers back.

               “It is a valid concern!” Jaehyung half-yells at them, embarrassed, before turning back to his phone, grumbling. He mumbles to himself, “Maybe ‘hey’ would be less awkward…”

               Younghyun laughs a little. Ever since Jaehyung finally started talking to Café Noona—whose name we now know as Go Areum-noona—he’s been on his phone twenty-four-seven, stressing over which word to say lest she think “I’m an embarrassing dork.”

               “But you already are an embarrassing dork,” Dowoon said two days ago, almost done with his vanilla ice cream. They were at Nichkhun’s stall yet again, but this time with Jaehyung finally joining the group.

               “That’s my boy; I raised you so well,” Jieun said to Dowoon, hand-on-her-heart touched, own ice cream half-finished as Jaehyung glared at him.

               “In all honesty, Jaehyung, you _are_ an embarrassing dork,” Younghyun said, having made only a dent to his ice cream.

               “Like you two are ones to talk,” Jaehyung said pointedly, gesturing to them with his ice cream cone.

               Younghyun and Dowoon were sitting with their thighs pressed against each other and their hands placed on their laps, fingers intertwined. Dowoon was resting his head on Younghyun’s shoulder, and Younghyun was resting his temple on the top of Dowoon’s head.

               They glanced at each other.

               Then, Dowoon cracked a smile and leaned further into Younghyun’s space; Younghyun felt a grin of his own crawl up his face.

               “Dorks, maybe,” Younghyun said to Jaehyung. “Embarrassed not.”

               Still, despite Jaehyung being so overly stressed about the whole thing, Younghyun finds it nice that the boy finally made progress on something he’s been having problems with for a month now. (Knowing Jaehyung, probably longer.)

               “It’s nice to see someone in love, don’t you think,” Younghyun says to Dowoon, grinning at him.

               Dowoon looks at him, for a moment, and it’s that look again.

               There’s this look that Dowoon gives sometimes, a look that Younghyun can’t decipher. Even before they were together, Dowoon always gave him this look, one where he’s staring at Younghyun, as if he’s memorizing the lines on his face or fixated on a thought that suddenly popped up. It makes Younghyun look at the boy questioningly every time and even now, wondering and wanting to know what’s going on in the pretty little head of his.

               “Yeah,” Dowoon eventually says, voice soft, hand grabbing Younghyun’s. “It is.”

               Younghyun was already about to lean in to kiss him when a loud “Make way for the queen of the house!” comes over.

               Jieun walks over with a cheery grin on her face, and beside her is a short, old lady, whose hair is almost completely white, curly and short in contrast to Jieun’s long and straight black hair. But he can see the resemblance in her eyes, despite the wrinkles that line them.

               “Alright, you two, this is my grandmother, Kim Sunhui, the most beautiful woman in the world,” Jieun introduces, placing her hands on either side of the old woman.

               “And rightfully so,” Jieun’s grandmother says with a huff. Younghyun grins; he likes her already.

               Jieun gestures to Dowoon. “This is—”

               “I already know,” her grandmother says, raising a hand. “This young boy is Yoon Dowoon, and that one is Kang Younghyun.” She gestured to Younghyun for that last one.

               Younghyun blinks, surprised. He turns to Dowoon, who looks equally surprised. Jieun looks opposite, smiling to herself. Jaehyung is mumbling, “Maybe she’s working right now…”

               “How did you know that, Ma’am?” Younghyun asks, in awe. This family is just full of amazing people, isn’t it?

               “Well, from what Jieun-ah told me, young boy, Yoon Dowoon is supposed to be smart,” she says to Younghyun. “And looking at the both of you, it seems evident which one is smarter.”

               Dowoon snorts, and Younghyun turns to him, sees the smile he’s hiding behind a hand, and finds that he doesn’t mind that at all.

               “But don’t worry, Younghyun, boy, I can tell you’re responsible, reliable, and respectful,” Grandmother says with a strict expression. “Better than that low-life, at least.” She gestures to the boy on the couch.

               “Thank you for the compliment, Grandmother,” Jaehyung calls from the couch.

               “You’re lucky you have my Jieun as a best friend or I wouldn’t even let you in my house, rude boy.” She turns to Jieun. “Why do you still keep him anyway?”

               “He’s my trophy friend.”

               “Hmph. My granddaughter should have a shinier trophy to show off.”

               “I love you, too, Grandmother,” Jaehyung calls again from the couch.

               “Eh, stop with all the pretty words; this is why you should have more girls in your friend group, Jieun,” she adds, turning to her granddaughter.

               Jieun glances away, sucking in a nervous breath. “Grandmother, you know I have a problem with girls…”

               “What? That you naturally try to woo every girl you meet? Just date them all!”

               Jaehyung turns to Younghyun and Dowoon, deadpan. “This is why Noona is the only girl I was able to talk to. My incompetency is actually only half the equation.”

               “Anyway, Grandmother, we’re gonna use my room for the study session,” Jieun says, obviously changing the subject.

               “Oh, of course, of course; I shouldn’t hold you up any longer,” Grandmother says, waving dismissively and beckoning the others with a hand. “Come, come, you two lovebirds; it’s up this way.”

               “‘Lovebirds’?” Younghyun turns to Dowoon, following Jieun’s grandmother up the stairs, who waddles as old people usually do, and yet surprisingly with a grace and poise reflective of that of a true queen, as Jieun said before. Young people could never.

               “Jieun must’ve told her we’re dating,” Dowoon says.

               “She didn’t,” Grandmother says, and Younghyun and Dowoon abruptly pause on the same step; Jaehyung bumps into Dowoon from behind.

               “Pardon, Ma’am?” Younghyun asks. He didn’t know she could hear them.

               Jieun’s grandmother huffs, strict.

               “You two should learn to hide the sort of love you two have; it is much too obvious,” she says, already turning away. “A love like that should be protected.”

               She turns back to walk up the steps, and Jieun places a hand on her back, having waited for her.

               “There goes Grandmother again with the cryptic sayings,” Jaehyung says behind them. “You two should probably get used to it. I’ve once been attributed to a golden carrot. Dunno what that meant but apparently I’m gonna be on some sort of ‘waiting line’, or whatever.”

               He pats the both of them on the shoulder before continuing up the steps, already familiar with the place.

               Dowoon looks at Younghyun for a moment; Younghyun looks back.

               “We stare at each other a lot, don’t we,” Dowoon says.

               “You noticed?” Younghyun asked.

               “Kind of.”

               They stare at each other again.

               Then, Younghyun places a quick kiss on Dowoon’s cheek before continuing back up the stairs, hand already holding his.

 

_THUD!_

               Younghyun almost jumps out of his skin when Jieun promptly slams the textbook on the table, placing both hands facing palm-down on the wood.

               “Alright, let’s get down to business,” Jieun prompts, eyes comically serious. “Finals are coming soon and you two are at risk at failing the class because you both suck at Math.” She points to Younghyun and Jaehyung.

               “For shame,” Dowoon says, shaking his head.

               “Especially, _you_ , Kang Younghyun—” Jieun points a finger at Younghyun— “You’re lucky you even got more than half the score for that quiz in Arts. Abstraction is different from Non-Objectivism, you turd.”

               “Disgraceful,” Dowoon says, shaking his head again.

               “How are they different?” Younghyun asks, still puzzled by it. “They both don’t look anything close to real life.”

               “Abstraction uses shapes and colors to represent things in real life; Non-objectivism doesn’t represent anything at all,” Jaehyung says monotonously beside him.

                Younghyun stares at him. The guy didn’t even look up from his phone.

               “See? Jaehyung gets it,” Jieun says with a gesture. “Honestly, he’d probably be as good as Dowoon and I at school if he didn’t suck at Math.”

               “Or if I actually made an effort into studying,” Jaehyung adds, still not looking up.

               “Self-aware and honest,” Jieun says. “I respect that.”

               Younghyun pushes his cheek up with a fist, leaning on the table with an elbow and his legs crossed over the other, stifling the sigh that threatened to slip from his lips.

               He’s really grateful that the four of them decided to study together like this to help each other for the exams. He _has_ been behind lately, and Dowoon tutoring him in the weekends has helped him a lot.

               But the thing is—it’s just—

               Younghyun mentally shakes his head. No, it’s fine. He can get through this. He just has to focus. He’s fine; he’ll be fine.

               Jieun claps twice sharply and Younghyun snaps out of his thoughts.

               “Now, let us begin.”

 

Dowoon stretches his arms forward, leaning backwards a bit.

               “Should we take a break?” he asks, turning to the others.

               They’ve been studying for about two hours now. It was mostly Mathematics because that’s the subject Jaehyung and Younghyun are both weak at. Jaehyung was a lot faster in learning than Younghyun, able to answer questions even while on his phone and playing into the teenager stereotype of being addicted to gadgets.

               On the whole, Jaehyung is also pretty good at other subjects, though not as advanced as Jieun or Dowoon; he’s actually average in everything, Dowoon’s noticed. It didn’t seem like he was that interested in school (for shame) so he doesn't really make much of an effort, but he’ll be able to pass, at least.

               Younghyun, on the other hand, is a lot slower, though he’s been improving. Dowoon has to break down concepts into their simplest terms in order for him to understand; it helps if it’s a subject that Younghyun is somewhat interested in (i.e. Music Theory and Arts) but it’s Math, so… no. (It would’ve been better if they were studying Inferential Statistics, as Younghyun had only recently started to appreciate its beauty; maybe it’d help if Dowoon made him realize that Statistics is literally also Math.)

               “Yeah, I think so,” Jieun agrees, stretching up as well. “My head’s starting to get all Dark Energy on me.”

               Younghyun jerks his head up from his notebook.

               “That’s the blackness in space, right?” he asks, quickly.

               “That’s Dark Matter, Younghyun,” Dowoon says.

               “Damn it.”

               Dowoon watches Younghyun turn to show Jaehyung something on his notebook, presumably to show him his answer to one of the test problems. Jaehyung glances once before returning to his phone.

               “You forgot to transpose, Younghyun,” he says.

               Jieun looks over as well.

               “Yeah, you also forgot to add to both sides of the equation,” she says, pointing.

               Dowoon sees Younghyun poke his tongue at the inside of his cheek.

               “Also, you multiplied these two wrongly,” Jieun points out. “I think you added the two digits instead.”

               Jaehyung glances again.

               “Ah, yeah. You also forgot to box the answer,” he says. “Ma’am marks it wrong if you didn’t do that, right?”

               “Anything…” Younghyun starts, and Dowoon sees it. He sees it. “Anything else I forgot?”

               Jieun and Jaehyung scan his notebook.

               “Yeah,” Jaehyung answers, and points on something on the paper. “Right here. You forgot to simplify the radical.”

               Dowoon slams his hands on the table abruptly and everyone turns to him, surprised.

               “We—” he starts. “We should take a break first. Dark Energy, and all that.”

               Younghyun closes his notebook and places it on the table, movements calm.

               “I’m going to the restroom,” he says quietly.

               “Do you know—” Jieun starts—

               “Yeah, I do,” Younghyun answers. “At least for this, I do.”

               He leaves the room, closing the door behind him gently.

               Jieun stretches again, lying down on the floor. “Phew! I swear I’ve never studied so much like this in my entire life.”

               “The privilege of someone who doesn’t need to study to be smart,” Jaehyung says, and Jieun throws a pillow at his head.

               They go into another one of their arguments, but their voices are background noise to Dowoon’s ears. He’s still staring at the door Younghyun left. He’s still staring at the look on Younghyun’s face from before, at him poking his tongue at the inside of his cheek, at—

               “I’m going to the restroom, too,” Dowoon announces, standing up and walking towards the door, not bothering with whatever they're calling out to him.

               He’s still staring at the glossiness of Younghyun’s eyes before Dowoon slammed his hands on the table.

                             

Younghyun leans on the sink, staring down at the white ceramic and breathing deeply, trying to calm his heart down.

               He’s fine. He’ll be fine. He’s been through this before, right? Four years. Four years of this. No—more, even. Twelve. Twelve years. He’ll be fine. He’s fine.

               _“You forgot again.”_

               Three knocks rap against the door of the bathroom, and Younghyun almost ignores it.

               He would’ve, if it wasn't for that beautiful voice.

               “Younghyun?” Dowoon calls, words muffled. “Are you there?”

               Younghyun swallows, hard.

               “Yeah, it’s me,” he answers, trying to even out his voice. “Is the break over?’

               “No. No, it’s not. I—”

               Dowoon pauses for a bit.

               “Younghyun, are you okay?”

               Younghyun feels so many things break at once, wanting to do so many things. He wants to crumple down on the floor and turn himself into a ball that no one can open. He wants to run a thousand miles to the school rooftop and breathe in the cold air that dances its way along the clouds. He wants to close his eyes and not see a single thing in front of him ever again.

               More importantly, he doesn’t want Dowoon to see.

               “I…” he starts, knowing his voice might be too quiet for Dowoon to hear. But he can’t trust himself. Any louder, and he’ll scream.

               “Younghyun, you know I care about you, right?” Dowoon asks. “Because I do. I care about you so much, Younghyun. I… You can lean on me, Younghyun. You don’t have to… to do anything alone.

               “You have me, Younghyun. You have me.”

               The moment Younghyun opens the door, he is met with a sense of déjà vu. Of a flower blooming after a delayed time. Of meeting a boy after three days.

               He remembers wanting to hold onto him when he saw him at the gates of his house. Wanting to hold onto him and hug him for a long time.

               Then, he had to stop himself from doing so.

               This time, he doesn't have to.

               Dowoon immediately places his hands on Younghyun’s back, hugging him back.

               He feels him pat his hair comfortingly, and Younghyun buries his face in the crook of his neck, feeling a pin prick at the corner of his eyes.

               “I’m going to fail the exam,” Younghyun whispers, unable to bring his voice any louder than this.

               “No, you're not,” Dowoon says, rubbing circles on his back.

               “I’m going to fail the exam and you're going to graduate without me and everything Mom and Dad ever worked for would be a waste—”

               Dowoon gently moves Younghyun away and Younghyun is met with a set of blurry flowers, water droplets lining the corner of the windows of his eyes.

               Dowoon cups Younghyun’s cheeks and presses his forehead against his.

               “You're going to do well on the exam, okay?” he says, and the water droplets suddenly grow bigger. “You're going to do amazing.”

               “But I keep forgetting everything,” Younghyun whispers. “I don't understand anything.”

               “Yes, you do. You're memorizing formulas better. You're getting all the concepts. You're good at Math, Younghyun. I know you are.”

               “But I only get half the scores. I review everything you guys tell me, but I keep making mistakes anyway.”

               “Only now. You're making mistakes, but at least you _know_ they're mistakes. You won't make them again next time.”

               Younghyun tries to blink away the tears, but all that does is bring them down his face faster.

               “You're all so much smarter than me,” he whispers. “You're all so much faster than me. I’m not like you. I’m not smart at all.”

               He hates this. It's always been like this. Being slower than everyone else. Not understanding everything as quickly as everyone else. He always dealt with it by closing his eyes and forgetting everything around him existed.

               But he can't do that now; he can't. He sees everything in front of him, moving farther and farther and farther away. Everyone's moving so fast, running so fast, but he's slow, he's only taking the first step.

               He's the only one left.

               Dowoon runs a thumb across his cheeks, wiping the droplets away and cleaning the window, the view of the flowers clearer.

               “So, what?” he asks. “So, you're slow. So, you're not as smart. So, what?

               “You're kind, Younghyun. You're hardworking. You're passionate and compassionate. You're caring and loving and friendly. You're honest and reliable. You're responsible and respectful, wonderful and beautiful, and everything more.

               “So, you're not smart. So, you're a bit slow. But you're so many more things than that, Younghyun. So much more. You're everything I want and more. You're everything you are, and everything you are is enough.

               “You don't have to be as smart as us. You don't have to be as quick as us. It's okay to be slow. It’s okay to make mistakes, Younghyun. You don't have to be right every time.

               “I'll be here with you, Younghyun. Slow as you are. I’ll walk with you and be with you. You don't have to be as fast as me. You don't need to be. Fast or not, I’ll still be here with you.”

               Younghyun finally lets the tears flow, lets the sobs bubble out, and lets Dowoon see him like this.

               “Will you, really?” Younghyun asks, holding onto the hands cupping his cheeks. “Will it really be fine?”

               “It will be, Younghyun. It will all be fine.”

               Younghyun cries a bit more and Dowoon places a kiss on his forehead. And one on his cheek. And one on his lips. And another. And one more.

               “You'll be fine,” Dowoon says. “You'll be fine.”

               Younghyun wraps his arms around Dowoon once more, telling himself he'll be fine, telling himself he will be.

               He'll be fine.

 

“—so, then I change it from negative to positive, right?” Younghyun asks.

               Dowoon looks over the page.

               “No, actually,” he says. “You have to change all of it to negative. It’s multiplied to the rest, see?”

               Younghyun looks over the equation again.

               “Ah!” he exclaims. “You're right!”

               Younghyun moves to change his answer, and Dowoon watches him with a smile on his face. The tears on his face were washed away by the water from the faucet, so it isn't obvious that he cried. But Dowoon can tell now. It makes him rethink a lot of things.

               “Dowoon, did something happen?” Jieun asks beside him. “You two were gone for a long time.”

               “Not really,” Dowoon answers.

               Jaehyung looks up from his phone. “You sure about that?” he asks, pointedly.

               Dowoon currently has his arms wrapped around Younghyun, holding onto him tight. He thinks it actually makes it a bit harder for Younghyun to write on his notebook, but Younghyun’s leaning back against Dowoon, so he figures it's alright.

               “Yes, I’m sure,” Dowoon says, hugging Younghyun tighter and pressing his cheeks onto Younghyun’s shoulder.

               Jaehyung and Jieun watch Dowoon and Younghyun review over the learning materials, as close to each other as they always are.

               “You better not turn me into a fifth wheel when you and Café Noona end up together,” Jieun says, turning to Jaehyung.

               Jaehyung blushes bright red, but he laughs a little.

               “Of course not,” he says, finally (finally) putting his phone down. “I’m your ‘trophy friend’, remember?”

               Jieun laughs a little. That title is something that she always uses to describe him to her grandmother, as an inside joke. “You know you're more than that.”

               “It's the only thing that keeps Grandmother to let me hang out with you without wanting me to marry you.”

               The both of them shudder.

               “No one wants that,” Jieun says.

               “No one.”

               They finish the study session with no more obstacles, Jaehyung having finally focused on it, Jieun having gone on a rant as to how Math is a part of everyone's lives even outside of class, Dowoon having explained to Younghyun that Statistics is literally a branch of Math, and Younghyun being okay with being slow, if Dowoon would walk beside him, slowing down his pace, slow as they are.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jieun's grandmother is the tru mvp #respekt
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • i relate to this chapter a lot  
> • i originally wanted to scrap the first half of this fic (the grandmother, jaehyung-being-a-lazy-ass, and briwoon-are-cutie-patooties scene) but @flyfarahway convinced me it was alright :P (let me know tho!)  
> • also LMAO sorry if i put in lots of academic stuff; truth be told, i'm the biggest nerd in the entire world and ashakjakk i like learning maybe a bit too much  
> • also ANOTHER LMAO the fic wasn't actually supposed to go this emotional or angsty ahgjsahk i originally wanted it to be something like "After school hours" but i think i was listening to really sad music while writing it and this happened :^) (this is also what happened with ["Violet"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14943227) lmao ahahaha... aha... ha... //cries)
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	10. Jaehyung and Café Noona (pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chance meeting under the rain shows Jaehyung just how close the sun is.

Jaehyung figures this is the peak of his entire eighteen-year life, considering that (a) he’s never been successful at getting a girl to notice him before, and (b) he’s also never spent so much money before in his entire life. That second one will probably lead to decisions more bad than good, but Jaehyung figures it’s alright as long as Areum keeps giving him that smile she always gives him at the counter.

               Areum. Go Areum. That’s her name. _Her_ name. And god, does he love repeating it over and over in his head. He keeps thinking about it—about how he nervously asked what her name was, how she angelically replied (she’s an angel; anything she does is angelic), and how she smiled so beautifully afterwards. She’s always beautiful. Everything she does is beautiful. Everything about her is beautiful. Even her name. Especially her name. It literally means “beauty”.

               Oh, god, Jaehyung’s sounding like Younghyun again. Honestly, that kid literally cannot shut up about his boyfriend. And yeah, okay, maybe it’s kind of cute how he’s always so proud of anything Dowoon does and how he’s so doting and makes sure he feels loved, yadda, yadda, but Jaehyung is tired of having to hear about which stars and constellations Younghyun thinks are in Dowoon’s eyes (their latest topic in Science was astronomy) and how Dowoon makes him smile no matter what he does and how he’s always letting Younghyun hold his hand even though he’s always a soft tsundere about it, blah, blah, blah. Jaehyung’s had enough, okay? Jaehyung’s had enough.

               But he guesses that, as annoying as Younghyun can be, if he really did make an effort (and if he was just as poetic) he probably could make as lengthy a book about everything he loved about Areum as Younghyun would about Dowoon.

               He’d start with her smile, first and foremost. It was what pulled him in the first place, after all.

               It was a weekend from a few months ago. He and Jieun were hanging out at the new café that had only just popped up in the area earlier that year. It wasn’t as if they were regulars; Jieun literally just dragged Jaehyung to the café because a sign at the front said that they had a new green tea drink put out. And Jaehyung, the ever-good best friend, complied, because frankly, no one has the power to go against Kim Jieun. Even if they tried, even if they wanted to.

               So, they sat by the window (Jaehyung remembers that because he saw Jamie literally across the street with a box of brownies in her tiny, little arms; made eye contact with her; and felt the spite from over a mile away) with Jieun’s new green tea drink and Jaehyung’s espresso (he doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth) sitting prettily on the wooden table.

               It was really just a casual thing, no signs or major happenings or anything that told Jaehyung that, on that day, his life was gonna change forever (thank you, Younghyun, for the dramatics you legacy-ed upon this Park Jaehyung; let’s hope you also pass down your poetic skills, too). So, Jaehyung didn’t really expect anything because he didn’t even know there was anything to expect.

               But, then. _She_ came over. Carrying two tiny plates that held a slice of tiramisu and a cheesecake. Jaehyung probably wouldn’t have given her a second thought if it was Jieun she addressed with her “Here are your orders, sir and ma’am.” Jahyung probably wouldn’t remember her if he hadn’t turned away from the window to look at her. And Jaehyung probably wouldn’t have fallen if she hadn’t smiled at him then—prettily, beautifully, perfect.

               He stared at her and kept staring. Even as she turned to return to her duties. Even as she went back behind the counter and catered another customer. Even as Jieun waved a hand in front of him. He stared. And kept staring.

               Jaehyung doesn’t know how exactly to describe it, how to word how he felt back then, what happened. Frankly, he thinks he’ll sound crazy if he tried: He was frozen in place, but he felt warm. He was star-struck but there was no pain. And all the earthy, nature-y colors of the café looked bright to him as shades of brown and forest green were instead shades of pastel yellow, white, and a glittery silver. He’s probably not making any sense with this. He’s probably just trying to copy Younghyun in all his Younghyun-ness.

               But honestly. Really. Truthfully. Out of all the times he met someone whom his heart pointed to, this was the first time ever that Jaehyung thought, _I hope I fall in love with_ her.

               And, well, maybe Jaehyung’s already on the way there.

 

It’s raining today.

               He lets out a sigh as he stares up at the sky, a giant paper bag full of groceries hugged by one arm and an automatic umbrella dangling by the handle on his wrist. The sky is gray, and the rain is really heavy—not storm-heavy, but heavy, nonetheless. And judging by the time on his watch, he’s already missed his chance to visit Areum at the café.

               Ever since he got Areum’s name and number, he’s been visiting her at her breaks, talking with her by the long table at the café, and chatting with her through text, though that last one might not be something Jaehyung should be as proud as he is with the other two.

               “Will you _stop_ retyping literally every word you come up with?” Jieun berated him after the fifth time he changed “hi, noona” to “hello, noona”, which he changed from “hiya, noona”, which he changed from “hey, noona”, from which he changed “it is i, park jaehyung”. They were at Jieun’s house then, sitting on the floor. “You keep changing everything.”

               “It is a valid concern, okay?” Jaehyung defended, stressed, staring down at his phone. “What if I come off too strong? Or too weird? Or not weird enough? Or too formal? Or too casual? Or a predator? I’m not a predator, Jieun; I’m not.”

               “Well, predator or not, my friend, she's gonna wonder why the heck three dots keep appearing and disappearing in the chatroom,” Jieun said, crossing her arms and leaning on the edge of the bed.

               Jaehyung jerked his head up, alarmed. “That's not weird, is it?”

               Jieun mulled over it for a moment.

               “Yeah,” she eventually said. “Yeah, it is weird.”

               “God darn it all.”

               “Language.”

               Despite the repercussions, though, he’s becoming more comfortable around her, no longer bound to his previous attempt-to-speak-then-panic-and-run-away cycle (he still panics, but he has stopped running away, so heck yeah—two points for Jae) and actually (actually) _actually_ speaking to her like a normal person.

               It’s been nice, honestly. Super, super nice. Areum’s just so nice, and kind, and beautiful, and ugh— _ugh_. He just—he just really—to Areum—

               He just—he just really, really, really likes hanging out with her. He just really, really does.

               When Jaehyung visits her at the café, Areum immediately comes over to talk during her break. When Jaehyung makes (or tries to, anyway) a joke or does something (usually accidentally) funny, she’s always laughing widely, smiling that beautiful, perfect smile of hers. And when Jaehyung asks her about her day, she’s always asking Jaehyung about his, too.

               Talking with her has been so much easier than he imagined, so much more comfortable, casual. He still gets bouts of _!!!_ whenever he even so much as sees her face, still gets distracted and hyper-aware that he’s _actually talking to Café Noona and she’s right there_ , and still gets nervous whenever he tries to talk to her, wanting to make sure she doesn’t think he’s weird, that he doesn’t embarrass himself.

               But despite all that, Jaehyung likes talking with her. Likes getting to know her better. Likes asking her about her life and seeing repetitions of that favorite smile of his and sitting next to her and reading her texts. He likes all of it. He wants to keep it going for a long time.

               Unfortunately, today looks like it isn't going to let him keep it going until the next one.

               _The rain really isn’t letting up, is it_ , Jaehyung thinks, still looking up. Honestly, it’s like the sun left the sky and told its incompetent cloud cohorts, “Hey, keep the place warm and dry while I’m gone.” What kind of place does a sun even need to go to? Europe? Or maybe Japan, considering it's the Land of the Rising Sun. Anyway, regardless, he’ll just have to visit Areum tomorrow.

               He opens his umbrella—

               “Jaehyung? Jaehyung! Wait a bit!”

               He turns around and sees an angel right in front of him, hears the sounds of bells ringing in his ears, sees the grayness of the world around him look more like a glittery white.

               _Oh. So, that’s where the sun went_.

               “Hi,” Areum greets, smiling up at him. “Got room for one more person?”

               _Always_. “Oh, um, sure, noona.”

               He offers her the umbrella and Areum ducks under it, now shaded from the rain. And god, oh, god, Jaehyung didn’t realize how tiny his umbrella actually was. Areum is literally standing so close to him that if he moves just one inch, he’ll be brushing against her shoulder. She’s standing so close. She’s so. Freaking. _Close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

               “Thank god, I saw you,” Areum is saying. “I thought I was going to get stranded for another hour.”

               “Oh, have you been standing out long?” Jaehyung asks, putting in a really, _really_ big effort to push the panic down.

               Areum hums in thought. “Maybe quite a bit,” she admits, shrugging with a smile. “I was actually wondering if you were going to visit the cafe today, so I waited a little after working hours. But I guess you were busy.” She tiptoes to peek at Jaehyung’s other side. “Groceries?” she guesses.

               “Yeah,” Jaehyung says, trying out a smile as his mind unnecessarily blares, _She waited for me she waited for me SHE WAITED FOR ME—_ “You know what they say: when life gives you lemons, you make sure you buy each one you see at the grocery.” _Jaehyung, what the frick_.

               Areum laughs a little at that, probably thinking Jaehyung’s cute, but obviously not in an endearing way like how Younghyun likes to call Dowoon cute (twenty-four- _seven_ , by the way), but how someone’s like, “Aw, cute, look at that baby trying to walk but keeps falling all the time.” (It’s him; Jaehyung’s the baby. A dumb, tall, and lanky baby.)

               “Well, you seem to be responsible, at least,” she comments with a smile.

               “Not really,” he answers, shrugging. “It’s just that I live alone, so…”

               “You live alone, too?” Areum asks, looking surprised.

               “Do you, noona?”

               “Yes,” she laughs a little. “I moved out when I started college.”

               Woah. “That’s… pretty cool.”

               “Not really. I should be the one saying that to you since you’re living alone while you’re still in high school. Could I ask why, by the way?” she adds after.

               “My parents just wanted me to be more independent, I guess.” Jaehyung shrugs.

               “See? That’s pretty cool of you—to be independent. You're already turning out to be a responsible and reliable young man.”

               Jaehyung glances away, feeling a tiny smile crawl its way up his face at the compliment. “Not… not really,” he eventually says, feeling embarrassed.

               “Oh? He’s blushing,” Areum teases.

               “I’m—I’m not blushing,” Jaehyung says, blushing.

               “Yes, you are.”

               “No, I’m not.”

               “Yes, you are!”

               “No, I’m not!”

               Areum laughs out loud, beautiful, and pretty, and perfect, and Jaehyung finds himself mesmerized by that same laughter as he always is. He wishes he has the words to describe it. He wishes he had the confidence to say them.

               “Anyway, we should probably move; we’re taking up space,” Areum prompts, and Jaehyung follows suit.

               They start walking, side-by-side, and Jaehyung honestly cannot help how disgustingly giddy he feels right now. He feels like he’s playing into the typical teenager trope where teens squeal internally when being anywhere near their crush and fantasize about dating them or something like that.

               But _dang it_ , as much as Jaehyung hates it, he can’t help but squeal internally just from the fact that they’re walking together, being all “Oh my gosh, Jieun, it was the best thing ever; she was _right next to me_!” and _ugh_ , it’s so _teenager_ , and _ugh_. It’s so _ugh_.

               Still, Jaehyung’s never felt this way before ever—for _anyone_ ever.  He’s always just been at the sidelines, watching his classmates talk about the people they like, the people they’re dating, the people they’ve broken up with. He’s had his fair share of crushes (majority of which Jieun freaking stole from him, albeit accidentally) but he’s never actually been able to move on from just that sideline crush. He’s never been able to talk to them, never been able to tell them how he feels. And maybe that’s why Jaehyung hates playing into these clichés of puppy love and squealing and being the typical teenager he probably should be acting.

               But with the rain still heavy, and the roads still wet, and with Areum walking next to him, smiling up at him, and saying something that Jaehyung isn’t catching on because he’s having an internal monologue right now, he thinks that maybe he could play into the clichés, if it’s one he’ll play with her.

               “—ehyung, you're not listening to me, are you,” Areum says, and Jaehyung snaps out of it.

               “Ahh, sorry, sorry!” he apologizes. “I, um—I wasnt paying attention, sorry.”

               “Clearly,” Areum laughs. “What’s got you so distracted?”

 _You, you, you._ “Nothing much, um—” _Change the subject. Change the subject._ “Woah, this rain is really coming on strong, uh… Wh-where did you say you were headed again, noona?” he asks, maybe a little too quickly.

               “Just home.” Areum shrugs. “And you?”

               “Just home, too,” he answers, nodding a little.

               Then, an idea pops up in his head.

               “Do you, uh…” he starts, awkwardly. (When does he not.)

               Areum looks at him questioningly.

               “I could walk you home, if you want?” he finally offers, feeling his heart start to race. Holy frick, he can’t believe he just said that. Hopefully, he’s not obvious. Just chill, Jaehyung. You don’t even know if she’s gonna say yes. Besides, it’s not a big deal, right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah—it’s just a normal thing to offer to walk someone home. Except it’s someone you’ve had a crush on for like months now and whose opinions you really, really care about, and oh, god, what if she thinks you’re being weird, or nosy, or you’re invading her privacy, or—

               “Would you?” Areum asks, looking hopeful. “I actually wanted to ask if you could do that, but I wouldn’t want to bother you…”

               “No! You’re not bothering me at all!” Jaehyung practically shouts, feeling a rush of innocent excitement run through his veins. He coughs, trying to keep his cool. “Honestly, like—I don’t mind. I-I mean, I want to walk you home. So, you can be safe. And—and also it’s raining. Wouldn’t want you to get sick, now, do we?”

               He laughs nervously, grinning (grimacing) down at Areum. (God, he’s an idiot.)

               But Areum just stares up at Jaehyung for a moment, not saying a word, head tilted just slightly as if she’s studying him. They keep walking for a bit, and the sound of Jaehyung’s heartbeat overpowers the rain. Why is she looking at him like that?

               “You’re a pretty good kid, aren’t you, Jaehyung,” she eventually says, the question sounding more like a statement. Or an afterthought. Or a conclusion to a long thought.

               Jaehyung shrugs, glancing away because he can’t handle staring at the sun for too long; he’s already half-blind as it is.

               “Well, I don’t know about that,” he says. “I mean, I’m not evil, sure, but to say it like that… uh, makes it sounds like I’m a saint, or something. I don’t know.”

               Areum lets out a breath of laughter. “You should think more of yourself,” she says. “You’re more extraordinary than you think.”

               Jaehyung looks at her, then, and she’s staring in front of her, hands clasped behind her back, small backpack hung over her shoulders. Her eyelashes are long, her lips are red, and her hair is always tied to a neat ponytail. It wasn’t when he first met her, though. Back then, her hair was open. He’d only seen it like that once.

               She turns to him, then, and smiles. Her index finger points to her right.

               “It’s this way,” she says, pretty, beautiful, perfect.

               He’ll follow her wherever she goes.

 

Eventually, they reach Areum’s apartment and stand at the entrance, the rain long gone, the roads still wet.

               “This is where we part, I guess,” she says, laughing a little. “Thank you for walking me home.”

               “No problem, noona,” Jaehyung says, uncharacteristically calm. Relaxed. At ease.

               He looks at her, and his heart warms. He looks at her, and his lungs breathe normally. He looks at her, and he smiles without thinking.

               “I’ll see you soon, then,” she says, waving a hand, before turning away.

               Jaehyung turns away as well, closing his umbrella, having no use for it.

               Then, he stops in his tracks. And feels his heart start to race again.

               An idea pops in his mind, and his lungs suddenly need more oxygen.

               He turns around, and sees that familiar face already looking back at him, eyes surprised to see his.

               “Um,” he starts, voice a little louder than usual. And Areum looks at him questioningly, smiling that smile of hers.

               “Would you want to hang out sometime?” he asks, and every part of his body goes up in flames, blood rushing, heart beat faster, faster, fast. “Maybe at the amusement park. Or at the aquarium. Or at a restaurant. Anywhere.” _As long as it’s with you_.

               And Areum keeps looking at him, eyes still surprised, maybe even more so. Her hand is loosely wrapped around the doorknob of the apartment. Lips red and cheeks pink.

               Then, she smiles as she always does, in a way only she can do.

               “Why not?” she says. “I’d love to hang out with you more.”

               And he stares at her and keeps staring. Even as she turns to enter her apartment. Even as someone else comes out of the door and looks at Jaehyung weirdly. Even as a car passed by behind him, fast, fast, faster.

               His heart is still racing. His lungs are slowly going back to normal breathing. And his lips—they’re unsmiling.

               Until one slowly, slowly crawls its way up his face, and suddenly Jaehyung can’t control his feelings.

               He finds himself jumping in the middle of the sidewalk like a madman, tucking his knees to his chest in the air, dropping everything he bought at the grocery, and not caring one single bit. He squeals and yells and laughs and smiles and feels every single piece of giddiness the world can offer, letting it take over him, no matter how cringey or teenager-y it is. He’s happy. He’s so freaking happy.

               He looks up, then, and laughs just one more time.

               The moment Areum went back inside her apartment, the sun suddenly returned back to its place in the sky.

               Coincidence? Jaehyung thinks not.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY FRICK CREDIT TO @FRH ON AO3 (@FLYFARAHWAY ON TWT) FOR COMING UP WITH THE SUMMARY FOR THIS CHAPTER HOLY FROSTED DONUTS I AM STILL S C R E A M I N G
> 
> also areum is such a gift to this world we do not deserve her :(
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • this chapter also contains scrapped versions beCAUSE END ME  
> • there were many scenes here that i either scrapped or moved to other chapters. hopefully i'll remember to point them out when relevant hehehehe
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she has a [yoonjin au thread](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036874047286435840) on twitter (i recommend the genie au one a lot!!) so if you're interested, go check it out! ^^
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	11. Before school hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Jieun and Jaehyung (probably) usually do when they arrive at school before everyone else.

Younghyun walks in the classroom with Dowoon behind him, noticing that the noise in the room _isn’t_ from the amount of students in it.

               “—rty seconds, Jae! You only got _thirty_ seconds!” Jieun is yelling, staring at something on her phone.

               Jaehyung is currently chugging down a rather large bottle of some orange liquid, only half-full. His face is red and his eyebrows are furrowed, but he’s still downing everything down with a fire Younghyun has never seen from him before (that is, since yesterday, when Jaehyung was dared to kick the ceiling with both feet; needless to say, there were some… casualties).

               Jieun continues to yell at her best friend loudly, counting down as the other students stare at the two of them, either confused, concerned, or extremely intrigued and interested (that’s Sanghyuk, for you).

               “Those two look they’re having fun,” Younghyun comments, placing his bag on his seat and sitting on the arm. Dowoon sits on his chair, placing his bag on the arm of the seat.

               “Why do they always have something like this every day?” Dowoon asks, looking at the two.

               “—our! Three! Two—” Jieun yells—

               Jaehyung downs the last few drops and slams the bottle on Jieun’s chair, putting his arms in the air in triumph.

               “ONE!” Jaehyung and Jieun yell at the same time and holler. They dab; Dowoon grimaces.

               “Maybe they’re just really bored?” Younghyun asks with a laugh. “I mean—they’re literally the first ones to arrive at school. What else are they gonna do?”

               “How early do they get to school?” Dowoon turns to Younghyun.

               Younghyun furrows his eyebrows, thinking about it. “Huh. I don’t know,” he answers. “They’ve always been here before any of us. I think I went to school one time at 6-something, and they were already there.”

               Suddenly, the sliding door slams open and everyone turns to Kim Wonpil, who points an accusing finger at Jieun and Jaehyung, who steel themselves.

               “ _You_!” he yells. “I don’t know what it is you’re doing but stop it!”

               “Oh, frick, it’s the class rep,” Jaehyung blurts out. “He wasn’t even here when we started—the frick?”

               “You can’t catch us, Class Rep! _Never_!” Jieun yells, pulling Jaehyung away and running out the door.

               “Kim Jieun! Park Jaehyung!” Wonpil calls after them, fast-walking. “Running in the classroom is not allowed! Nor in the halls! Nor anywhere else in the school! Also, _come back_ —class will be starting soo— _hey_! Don’t poke your tongue at me!”

               Wonpil fast-walks out the door after them, and noise starts filling the room, mostly about what just happened.

               “I wonder what they do before school starts,” Dowoon says, leaning on Younghyun’s knees with crossed arms.

               “Yeah, me, too,” Younghyun says, unconsciously drawing circles on Dowoon’s arms.

               Dowoon glances up; Younghyun glances down. He pokes Dowoon’s cheek.

               “Pen and paper, right now,” Dowoon instructs.

               “Yessir,” Younghyun says, already moving.

 

Once upon a time, in ~~a faraway land~~ Seoul, Korea, Park Jaehyung, a bright meme of a boy, was waiting at his ~~home in the suburbs~~ apartment at ~~5:00~~ ~~5:30~~ ~~4:30~~ ~~5:00~~ ~~5:01~~ 5:30 AM, as he usually did, supposedly. He was distraught because of ~~traffic~~ ~~he was late~~ ~~Areum-noona~~ some reason I can’t think of right now, but he was distraught.

               “Oh, boo,” Jaehyung stated, putting a hand on his cheek. “How am I ever going to solve this problem for which my storywriters can’t think of?”

               Suddenly, an array of rainbow-colored glitters exploded next to Jaehyung, and a girl of about the same age as Jaehyung appeared next to him. Her name was Kim Jieun.

               “Greetings, my very best friend Since the Beginning of Time and Even Before That!” Jieun greeted cheerily. “Why does is it seem like you’re very sullen?”

               “Oh, Ji,” Jaehyung sadly started, “I’m feeling blue at this moment due to the fact that I have this problem.”

               “Oh, what is it?”

               “I don’t know yet.”

               “Oh. Well, whatever it is, let the Amazing Jieun help you solve it!” Jieun said, putting a fist to the center of her chest in an act of “Trust me (even though in all honesty, no one should actually).” “Where shall we start?”

               “Let’s start at the school—wait, no, that’s too soon; how about—the park, since we have so much time to kill before we get to school!” Jaehyung suggested.

               And so, they set out to solve Jaehyung’s unnamed problem, just enough until they were to go to school on time.

               The end.

 

“Wait, what—that’s it?” Dowoon asks, looking up from his paper.

               “What?” Younghyun asks, an unspoken “do you want from me?” hanging in the air.

               “Literally the only interesting part of that is Jieun appearing in a heap of rainbow-colored glitters.”

               “I’m on a time-constraint here.”

               Dowoon rolls his eyes and marks the words he wrote on the paper as “Draft 1”. He starts another paragraph, entitling it as “Draft 2”.

 

He’s running, feels the sweat trickle down his face and his legs just on the brink of giving away. He doesn’t process anything around him, doesn’t care where he’s going, as long as it’s away from _her_.

               He can feel oxygen leaving him as he runs, throat burning, legs on fire. Every part of him is screaming for rest but he can’t, no, he can’t. Everything around him is a blur. Everything in front of him says, “Faster, Jaehyung. She’s there. She’s right there.”

               He takes one quick look behind him, and, for a split-second, spots her— _her._ The reason why he’s running. The reason for everything.

               She’s running after him. A girl. Younger than him. Shorter than him—well, _probably_ shorter than him. Most likely, anyway. Not to say that all female middle schoolers are short, but statistics and biology states that majority is so. You know, Younghyun, there’s actually this study that I read last ni

               Jaehyung turns back, knowing his time is almost up. It’s now or never; him or no one else.

               And then, he spots it. Right in front of him. Just a few more steps away. _His way out_.

               He can hear her footsteps getting closer. He can feel his muscles start to break.

               _You can do this._

With a final push of a step, he grabs the knob of the door and pushes it open, stepping inside.

               He looks back. He sees her expression. Sees how she widens her eyes. Sees her reach out for the door.

               Jaehyung slams it in her face.

               He locks the door, chest heaving more than he could ever imagine. His throat is crying, his legs are dying, and everything about him is screaming, yelling, shrieking.

               But he turns around, knowing exactly what is there.

               A girl is sitting in front of him, in their classroom, on a throne made of gold, right next to a table also of gold, smiling at him, knowingly.

               She picks something up from a plate, also of gold, and Jaehyung knows that everything he did wasn’t for naught. That if he had gone later, he wouldn’t have had any

               “Brownies?” Jieun smiles, holding up the gorgeous, fudgy slice of heaven that melts in your mouth when you eat it. That smells of dreams and Wonderland and all than which nothing greater can be conceived. A beautiful, slice of brownie, which you can buy in sets at the bakeshop at the district area for _only_ a price of 20,000 won for twenty pieces. _Eat a brownie to get rid of that frownie_ , as is the slogan of the bakeshop.

               “Well,” Jaehyung says, feeling a grumble in his stomach, “don’t mind if I do.”

               And they eat the brownies rather deliciously.

               The end.

 

“That brownie Jaehyung bought us was really good,” Dowoon says to Younghyun as an explanation.

               Younghyun lets out a breath of laughter, shaking his head a little. He pokes Dowoon’s cheek just once, grinning fondly.

               “Looks like I have to make more of an effort, then,” he says with a smile.

 

_THUD!_

               The sound echoes off the cement walls of the confined room as Jieun dumps the package on the wooden table, the sole light of the bulb at the center of the ceiling providing nothing to amend the tense atmosphere.

               “Here,” Jieun says with a pointed look, crossing her arms. “We got you a gift.”

               The man sitting on the metal chair before her glances up at her with a raised eyebrow, barely acknowledging her “gift”. His eyes show signs of old age, and he has a slight stubble growing on the sides of his jaw. Jaehyung’s familiar with him. _Very_ familiar.

               The man leans on the table with his elbows, hands clasped, the lighting of the room much too dark, the glare of the single white bulb a pain to the eyes, both literally and figuratively. Jaehyung doesn’t know how this man can even handle staying here for almost majority of the day. The place smells as if it held rotting corpses of human fle—wait, no, that’s too gross, uh—like a public restroom that hasn’t been cleaned in months.

               “A ‘gift’, you say,” the man drawls, and when he speaks, it’s as if he has pebbles clogging up his throat, making it raspy and damaged.

               “Depends on how you view it, _sir_ ,” Jaehyung says, emphasizing on that last word as if to prove something. “Why don’t you just see for yourself.” He gestures to the package nonchalantly with a hand, trying to not let show the nervousness blocking up his veins, threatening to reveal itself through uncontrollable tremors.

               The man keeps his stare at the two of them for a bit, raised eyebrow seemingly permanent on his aging face. Then, he moves on to open the package, untying the cloth before revealing a box. He removes up the lid easily.

               Rows upon rows of chocolate brownies fill the box up to the brim, the tempting smell filling up the room. Jaehyung has to stop himself from even just looking at them, lest he ruin this deal by slip of hand.

               “So?” Jieun says, knowing smile on her face. “What do you think? Is it worth the exchange?”

               The man scoffs, an unbelieving smirk on his face.

               “You kids…” he starts, shaking his head. “You really have no respect, do you.”

               Jaehyung shrugs. “Business is business, Kim; what offends you isn’t ours. Is it a yes or a no?”

               The atmosphere is tense, with the two students trying to keep eye contact with the man before them, who looks like he, too, isn’t going to back down. Jieun can feel the sweat accumulate on the palm of her hands, but she keeps her cool and her chin high.

               Then, the man says,

               “Six o’clock. Every day starting from six o’clock you have access to every restricted area in the school, including the rooftop. But I must warn you—” the man looks at them with a serious eye— “should you fail to get to your first class, whatever happens to you then is none of my concern.”

               Despite the warning, Jaehyung can feel excitement bubbling up his throat. Finally, they’ll be able to do the things they weren’t able to do before. Finally, they’ll be able to feel free.

               “Until when will this last?” he asks, keeping his cool.

               “Keep supplying me with these every two weeks…” the man gestures to the brownies, “… and you’ve got yourself the entire year.”

               “Oh, I’m sure that won’t be a problem,” Jieun assures him with a smile. “It was a pleasure working with you, Security Kim.”

               They shake hands, followed by Jaehyung. Then, they leave the door of the security office, closing it behind them.

               They exchange a look with each other.

               “Want to plan out the mischief we can now do because we have access to the restricted areas of the school?” Jieun asks.

               “Heck yeah.”

               And so, they explore the most restricted areas of the school, earning themselves the privilege only they can obtain.

               The end.

 

“That _would_ be something they would do, wouldn’t it,” Dowoon says, scanning his paper.

               “Better than my last one, right?” Younghyun asks with a hopeful smile.

               Dowoon cracks a smile, then tries to push it down—but it’s too late; Younghyun’s already seen it. And he wants to kiss that beautiful smile of his.

               “Let’s just go to the next one,” Dowoon says, writing down “Draft 4”.

 

“Oh, no!!! I’m late!!!”

               With a piece of toast in my mouth, I run out my house in a hurry, late for the first day of school. What a way to start the day!!!

               My name is Kim Jieun, a student in my last year of high school. This year is the most important to me because for my entire life I’ve never made any friends. But!!! Last year, I made a promise to myself to make one hundred friends. To finally become the me that I want to be.

               But I can't do that if I’m running late to school!!!

               “Hey! Are you late, too?!”

               I turn to see a boy running next to me. He has black hair and eyeglasses. He's also wearing a uniform with the same logo as my school. Huh?! Is he my classmate?!

               “Yeah!!” I yell to him. “Did your alarm not wake you up, too?!”

               “Yeah!!” he tells me. “It was weird because I always wake up because of my alarm, but when I did, the clock was already at 9:30!!”

               “Well, I guess we’re both late, then!” I yell.

               “By the way, what’s your name?”

               “Kim Jieun!! What about you?!”

               “Park Jaehyung!!”

               I almost trip. Park Jaehyung?! That’s the name of the boy I’ve been looking for since childhood! He was the reason why I even went to Seoul in the first place—to search for the best friend who left me all those years ago.

               Now you’re telling me he’s running next to me to go to school?!

               “Don’t you remember me?” I yell at him as we turn an intersection.

               “Remember you? Why would I remember you?”

               “Don’t you remember: we were Ji and Jae, the best superhero duo in the sandbox! Back in Busan (or something; I don’t know Jieun’s hometown) we used to play so much together! Don’t you remember, Jae? Don’t you remember the Soda Can Witch of the Southern West?”

               Jaehyung furrows his eyebrows.

               “You mean ‘Jeju-Do’?” he asks.

               I shush him, putting a finger to my mouth as we keep on running.

               Then, Jaehyung abruptly stops in his tracks, making me stop, too. He’s staring at me with wide eyes.

               “Ji?” he says, voice sounding surprised. “Is it… is it really you?”

               I feel tears almost prick my eyes, remembering all the times we spent together. The sandbox, the swing set, the see saw… all those moments gone.

               No, they’re still here. Here, in my memories.

               “When the road goes rough…” I start, and I see Jaehyung widen his eyes. “And the going gets tough…”

               “Who do we call?” Jaehyung continues, and I feel a bubble of happiness fill up my chest. “Whether it’s summer or fall?”

               “It’s Ji and Jae, who’ll save the day,” we both continue at the same time. “And that’s not aaall…!

               “We’ll be fighting the Witch of the Southern West! We’ll walk hand-in-hand and get through this test! For friendshiiip rules us all…!”

               We wrap each other in a crying embrace, all those moments lost now shared in a memory we both share together. I can feel the cherry blossoms flying in the wind, just like the both of us walking in a new path of friendship and destiny…!

               “Jieun, wait!” Jaehyung abruptly says, pulling away from the hug.

               “What is it?” I ask, concerned.

               “Don’t you remember?! We’re late!!!”

               The both of us yell at the same time and start sprinting towards the school. Oh no!! My one hundred friends!! They’re leaving me!!!!!

               We finally arrive at the school, leaning on our knees, chest heaving. I look up at the giant clock on the school wall—and widen my eyes.

               “Jaehyung!!” I say, pointing.

               He looks up and widens his eyes, too.

               The clock reads 7:06 AM. Huh?! We’re not late?!

               “We must have read our clock wrong,” Jaehyung says. “9:30 must have been 6:45…”

               We stare at each other. Then, we both smile at the same time.

               I put out my hand.

               “It was wonderful meeting you again,” I say.

               He shakes it.

               “To a new school year—a new beginning,” he says.

               One down. Ninety-nine to go.

               The end.

 

“I think I actually teared up,” Younghyun says, wiping his eyes with a finger.

               “What’s Jieun’s hometown, anyway?” Dowoon asks.

               “I think it was Ilsan.”

               “Dang it.”

               “Don’t worry; it was still a great story.” Younghyun pokes Dowoon’s cheek.

               “It’s inaccurate and a falsehood, though,” Dowoon grumbles.

               Younghyun breathes out a laughter.

               “Then let’s make one together.”

 

Jaehyung looks around him, checking to see if anyone is there. Nothing but trees, flowers, a cement road, and the school wall—the coast is clear.

               He continues on his tiny mission, maneuvering his way around pebbles and twigs on the ground. Honestly, is there even anyone who maintains this place? You’d think a prestigious school such as this one would have better maintenance.

               Finally, he reaches a part in the school where the trees cover just enough that one would have to be close to Jaehyung to actually see what happens—what will happen.

               He checks his watch. 6:29. Just in time.

               The minute-hand points to the number 6, and Jaehyung can feel a gust of wind come from seemingly nowhere. It rustles the leaves of the trees, sends tiny pieces of grass and petals flying in the air, and if Jaehyung hadn’t been used to this sort of episode, he would have probably be flung away by it, too.

               A ring of pink, glowing fire forms in front of him, a beam of light coming in from within.

               Then, a girl pops her head from inside, clad in a uniform and a smile on her face.

               “Yo,” Jieun greets, saluting at Jaehyung with two fingers.

               She jumps on the ground, and the ring of fire disappears, as does the gust of wind.

               “Did anyone see me come in?” she asks, looking around and hopeful, for some reason.

               “Of course not,” Jaehyung says. “I’m your guardian; as if I’m gonna let some rando see you come here from another dimension.”

               “Aw,” she says, disappointed. “I was hoping for some more drama in my life. The Fairy world is so boring.”

               From the moment Jaehyung was born, he was already assigned to Jieun, a fairy princess from a different world from his. His family was a line of Fairy Guardians, and Jaehyung is the last heir to their clan. Needless to say, he’s stuck with Jieun forever.

               “Are you joking me?” Jaehyung frowns. “If anything happens to you, you’re not the only one getting in trouble, you know. I’m going to get disowned for the rest of my life.”

               “Like you haven’t already been.”

               “Wow.”

               Jieun pats him on the back. “Don’t worry, Jae, my man. I’m the most powerful Fairy in this world.”

               “You’re the only Fairy in this world.”

               “Exactly. You don’t gotta worry ‘bout a thing—not a, not a thing!” Jieun singsongs, grinning at him.

               “Even if that’s true, you shouldn’t even _be_ here on Earth,” Jaehyung says. “How long are you gonna keep this student life up, huh? One day, you’re going to rule over the Fairy world and all these mathematics and inferential statistics nonsense isn’t going to be of any use.”

               Jieun breathes out a laugh.

               “Jae,” she starts. “Not everything you learn at school has to be about school.”

               Then, she skips away, and Jaehyung can see the traces of glitter flying from her shoes. He’s going to have to keep that in check.

               The two happily walk to the main building of the school, oblivious to the pair of eyes watching over them at a safe distance. They stare at them, menacing, knowing full well who they are.

               _Finally_ , they say, their voice embedded into the air, _I can have my revenge_.

               The figure reaches out with a ha—

 

“What are you two doing?”

               Younghyun and Dowoon yelp in surprise, looking up to see Jieun and Jaehyung looking down at the both of them, questioning.

               “What are you writing?” Jaehyung asks. “We don’t have an assignment.”

               “We—um—” Dowoon clumsily grabs the paper and tries to put it into Younghyun’s bag without looking but ends up smacking it on his face. Younghyun tries to grab it, but his eyes are blinded and probably in pain. “We were—um—writing fanfiction. About us.”

               Jaehyung and Jieun stare at them while Younghyun whispers in his ear, “What’s fanfiction?” Dowoon swats him away, sweating.

               Then, they pat Younghyun and Dowoon on their shoulders.

               “Don’t worry; we accept you,” Jieun says, and the both of them turn away.

               Dowoon and Younghyun let out sighs, the former resting his head on the latter’s shoulder. Younghyun brings up the slightly crumpled paper, staring at the crossed-out words and the blue and black inks filling up the sheet.

               “We wrote a lot, though,” he says, scanning. “Do you think we could start a writing career together?”

               Dowoon lets out a breath of laughter. “Nah,” he says. “Writing’s a pain in the neck.”

               Mrs. Yoon walks in at that moment.

               “Good morning class—” she starts—

               Suddenly, the sliding door opens and in comes Kim Wonpil, chest heaving and beads of sweat trailing down his face. His eyes scan the room wildly until it reaches the two best friends sitting by the window, looking back at him innocently.

               “ _How_?” he almost screams.

               Younghyun and Dowoon keep amused smiles at their faces as Mrs. Yoon berates Wonpil. Well, whatever. The day goes on.

 

**_6:04 AM. Train station. Two hours prior._ **

Jaehyung’s staring down at his phone with furrowed eyebrows, typing something and looking stressed about it. He types in a message, then deletes it again, typing another. Then, he deletes that.

               He groans out loud, pressing the phone to his forehead. He hits it against his forehead repeatedly. The other people at the train station stare at him weirdly.

               Then, his phone is suddenly plucked out of his hands, and he is greeted with a sneaky grin on a familiar face.

               He looks at Jieun, indignant, but the girl just shrugs, and before Jaehyung can process it, she sends Areum a message that has Jaehyung screaming. The other people at the train station stare even longer.

               But then, a small _ping!_ sound comes from the device and the both of them stare at the phone, eyes widening. The both of them start jumping up and down, elated and excited. The people stare even more.

               Eventually, they leave the train station, the car that Jieun came in from long gone on its trip to somewhere else.

               They pass by the district area, familiar with all its intricacies and attractions. The owners of the shops greet them with smiles and waves of the hand, except Mr. Boo, who, unlike his son, is the literal bane of everyone's existence. But Jieun and Jaehyung greet him with smiles anyway.

               They meet with Mrs. Choi and buy each a stick of her unknown meat product. They visit Shishi-ssi, the white fluffy cat at the fish shop entitled Saengsun-nim and pet her a few more times than necessary. They take a few photos at the fountain and Jieun almost pushes Jaehyung into it “accidentally”.

               Eventually, they leave the district area and reach the school gate, where Kim Heechul, whom everyone calls “Security Kim”, is waiting for them with a big smile and a simple wave, familiar with them.

Jieun and Jaehyung share a customized handshake with Kim, having come up with since their first year of high school. They all laugh a bit before Jieun and Jaehyung bid him goodbye, moving up to the classroom.

               When they enter, no one's there, and if they went to any other classroom, it'd be the same. But it's not much of a surprise for them; it's always been their thing to be earlier than early. There's just something that comes with being in the school so early, where only a peaceful silence is heard. Jaehyung and Jieun are like that, except they bring noise to the silence instead of being one with it.

               Jieun draws an unflattering portrait of Jaehyung on the blackboard and Jaehyung takes a picture of it, using it as his profile picture on SNS (#nofilter). Jieun whips out a timer on her phone as Jaehyung runs around the classroom, trying to touch all the walls under the shortest time possible. Jaehyung brings out a giant bottle of carbonated orange juice just as Kim Wonpil and Park Sungjin enter the classroom; he hides it before the class representative can see.

               Slowly, more students start entering the classroom, and when Kim Wonpil leaves the room to go talk to the faculty, Jaehyung brings out the bottle and Jieun whips out her phone once more.

               And five minutes later, Younghyun walks in the classroom with Dowoon behind him, noticing that the noise from the classroom _isn’t_ from the amount of students in it.

               And on following days, it wouldn't ever be from anyone else but those two.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we gon' crackfic this week, my homies :)
> 
> btw how have u been liking wsly so far?? is it fun, is it boringㅡkindly tell me in the comments! id love to have some feedback on wsly in general ^^ (and if you prefer to go on anon, theres always my curiouscat ehehe)
> 
> thank you to everyone who leaves kudos and comments!! they are honestly such a big motivation and i couldnt appreciate them enough ^^
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • i was sleep-deprived when i wrote this chapter dont @ me  
> • ALSO AYYYYY THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WONPIL AND SUNGJIN APPEAR AYYYYY  
> • in all honesty tho, this chapter was not supposed to happen like this i just wanted to put something like the last part of the chapter but in more detail but my crack-ass self decided younghyun and dowoon write fanfiction instead
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)
> 
> oh ye i forgot to mention that as of last month, i only check on comments once or twice every month because i noticed that i kept checking and rechecking my inbox literally every second, and that is so not healthy and frankly borderline obsessive, so ill only be responding on ao3 every month, okay!! BUT i promise i appreciate every single one of them and every single one of you, and i honestly cant thank you enough ♡♡♡
> 
> thank you again ^^


	12. Cookies for Younghyun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dowoon tries to bake cookies for Younghyun, but when things start to look messy, he calls for the two people who can't possibly be worse than him.

Dowoon furrows his eyebrows, staring down at the phone in his hand.

               “‘In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed,’” he reads. Then, he looks to the side and says quietly, “What the heck is ‘medium speed’?”

               It was a few days ago when Dowoon decided to bake cookies for, uh, a “certain someone”. Nothing really fancy or extravagant, just a small thing that Dowoon wanted to do for this “certain someone”. This “certain someone” has just done so many things for him, too much for him to count, and Dowoon just wanted to do something for him, even if it’s just this.

               The problem is—Dowoon’s never baked before.

               “What on earth is the difference between granulated sugar and white sugar?” Dowoon talks to himself, pursing his lips. “Is that confectioner’s sugar? Or icing sugar?”

               It’s not that Dowoon’s never _wanted_ to cook or bake before; it’s just that he’s always been scared to try to. There have been one too many instances when his mother had exploded the kitchen because of either the microwave oven or the pressure cooker. Not to mention, how is he supposed to know how much salt to put in a dish? Or how much water to use to boil an egg? Or how much gochujang it takes to make a meal spicy? None of it Dowoon knows and frankly, he’s scared to.

               Which is why he’s always so amazed at how Younghy—ahem, this “certain someone” is always so “don’t worry about it” when it comes to cooking in the kitchen. When Dowoon would wonder how much salt to put in a dish, he’d always just sprinkle a bit and the dish would turn out fine. When Dowoon would worry if the water is enough, he’d say it’s okay as long as the egg is covered, and the egg would, again, turn out fine. When Dowoon would worry if the amount of gochujang he’s mixing into the chicken is too much, he’d laugh and tell him not to worry at all. That time, the buldak did not, in fact, turn out fine and that “certain someone” had to down a liter of water to ease his burning tongue, but he was still laughing despite it. That, to him, everything was still alright because he had Dowoon with him to kiss away the pain on his lips.

               Younghyun’s just been So. Freaking. Nice. All the Dang. Time and the amount of love he’s been giving Dowoon has been so _umpteen_ that Dowoon wants to give as much love to him as he possibly can. But when Younghyun gives him a piece of his heart, and Dowoon gives him a piece back, Younghyun decides to give him a freaking _truckload_ of hearts he probably grew himself over the years or something. Honestly, Younghyun. Honestly.

               And it’s because of those two things that Dowoon wants to make cookies for him. Even if he sucks at it. Even if he doesn’t know what leavening agents are. Even if he will probably fail at this and give Younghyun the worst cookies in his entire life. He wants to do something for him. Wants to make him smile as Younghyun had made him.

               Er—the “certain someone”, he means. Not—not Younghyun. Nope.

               “Okay, let’s see,” Dowoon starts, scanning the ingredients that are seated neatly on the counter. He asked his mother to buy them the previous day (“Who are you making cookies for, Dowoon?” “No one, Mother.” “Ah, I see. Tell me if Younghyun likes them!” “Sure, Moth— _wait, wait, that’s not_ —”). He starts listing them out loud: “Butter, sugar, _brown_ sugar (which is apparently different from regular sugar), vanilla, eggs—wait.”

               Dowoon turns back to his phone. “Did they mean white eggs or brown eggs?” he asks himself, or, more accurately, the world.

               Dowoon honestly has no idea what to do. Without Younghyun here to tell him how to do anything (“anything” being things outside academics, because frankly Dowoon is already a master at that and Younghyun is a mere “plebeian”, as Jieun would put it), Dowoon isn’t sure how to go about this. He doesn’t even know how to cook rice. What kind of Asian doesn’t know how to cook rice?

               “Let’s just—let’s just wing it,” Dowoon tells himself, nodding to himself. “Younghyun always wings it and it always turns out fine except for that one time he tried to make me buldak. It will be fine.”

               So, he first preheats the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (in which case he had accidentally turned the knob for the timer first before turning the knob for the temperature) before staring into a glass bowl, hesitant.

               The recipe called for 4 ¼ cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (what even is “kosher”), and a bunch of other stuff that Dowoon had no idea how to look for so he just asked his mother to buy each in bulk, which explains why there are big packages of each ingredient on the counter right now. He knows he should measure them, but the question is “how”.

               “Okay, okay, let’s start with the butter.” The recipe said that the butter had to be softened, and the butter he has right now is already pretty soft, so he just dumps it right in the bowl after measuring it with a measuring cup. He also adds in the sugar, piling it up to a tiny mountain in the cup, before proceeding to the brown sugar, which was described as “packed”.

               Dowoon blinks, staring at his phone screen. “It’s already packed, though?” he asks to no one in particular, looking at the brown sugar still packed in plastic. He just holds onto Younghyun’s “wing it” mindset and dumps the sugar in the bowl, having let it pile up like a mountain like the regular sugar. Younghyun likes sweet things, so having so much sugar in this probably would not be a problem as long as he does not consume it consecutively without drinking water.

               Dowoon moves on to the other steps of the recipe, mixing the ingredients (with difficulty), adding all the eggs at one time (he spilled so much), and adding in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.

               He stares at the mixture in the bowl.

               It’s a multi-colored extravaganza with shades of dark brown (chocolate chips), light brown (brown sugar), white (regular sugar), powdery white (lumps of flour), yellow (butter), neon yellow (egg yolk), and blue? Dowoon has no idea how blue got there, but it’s there.

               “Yeah, I think we can roll it into a dough now,” Dowoon says, half-confident. The recipe said to mix it for about ten minutes, and he’s been mixing for… it’s 1:25 right now and he started around 12:23, so… about an hour now, so he figures he’s good to go.

               So, he gets the mixture, presses it into a weird ball, drops it on the bare counter, gets the rolling pin, and _bangs_ the mixture with it.

               The dough falls apart in crumbles.

               Dowoon almost falls apart, too.

               “ _Why_ did I decide to go out with someone who knows how to bake?” he groans out loud. “Who am I supposed to turn to when I want to bake something for _them_?”

               An idea pops in his mind.

               He immediately grabs his (very floury) phone from the counter, scrolls down his contacts, and puts his phone to his ear, hopeful.

               The call is accepted after three rings.

               “ _What’s up, my precious baby boy Dowoonnie?_ ” Jieun asks from the phone.

               “I need you to help me bake cookies for someone,” Dowoon says.

               A pause.

               “ _... You mean Younghyun_?”

               Dowoon burns bright red.

               “... Yes,” he says, voice quiet.

               “ _I’ll be right over, lover boy_.”

 

“I think it looks fine,” Jieun says, looking at the sad crumble of dough, hands on her hips. She had come over in thirty minutes, which was surprising because her house is about an hour away via _train_ , but she said that she was already in the district area when Dowoon called her.

               “What were you doing, then?” Dowoon asked as they walked to the kitchen.

               “Getting blackmail material on Park Jinyoung,” she answered.

               Dowoon furrowed his eyebrows. “Our principal?” he asked. Jaehyung likes to say that the old man looks like the Park Jinyoung from JYP, but Dowoon (nor anyone, for that matter) cannot see it.

               “Yes,” she answered, not giving more than that. “Is this real diamond?” she suddenly asked, pointing at a diamond sculpture next to the TV.

               Dowoon had to pull her away from the living room before she actually stole anything.

               “Really?” Dowoon asks in reply, furrowing his eyebrows at the mess on the counter. “It broke apart when I hit it with the rolling pin earlier.”

               “That’s because you have to _roll_ it, Dowoon,” Jieun says, grabbing the rolling pin with an air of confidence. “That’s why it’s called a _rolling_ pin.”

               She grabs a piece of the dough and places the rolling pin on top it. Then, she pushes the dough away from her with it; it rolls on the counter then comes to a halting stop. She grabs it and pushes it with the rolling pin, repeating the process.

               “See?” she says, looking at Dowoon. “Just keep doing that over and over again and you got yourself a set of dough balls.”

               Dowoon stares at her. He’s not a world-class chef but he's pretty sure there's at least _one_ thing wrong with that. But it’s Jieun. He figures it can't possibly be that bad—

               Wait. Poop. It’s just now that Dowoon remembers. Younghyun even told him about this. Younghyun _told_ him about this.

               Jieun cannot cook at all.

               He watches Jieun keep “rolling” the doughs on the counter with the pin. The balls fall apart soon after, and she picks them up, squeezing them together. Except she squeezed them too hard and they fall apart, slipping from between her fingers, broken, like his dreams.

               They stare at the crumbled pieces of dough on the counter.

               “Let’s go get some help,” Jieun quickly says, grabbing her phone from her pocket. Dowoon quickly nods, agreeing with her completely.

 

“Okay, first off, what is this,” Jaehyung says, staring at the counter with hands on his hips. He had come after twenty minutes, and, judging by the smell of coffee surrounding him, he was at Café Noona’s café.

               “It’s our baby boy’s masterpiece; stop judging it,” Jieun says. She cradles one of the multi-colored balls in her hand.

               “Well, it's not gonna become cookies if it's all falling apart like this,” Jaehyung says, grabbing the doughs.

               “Please tell me you know how to cook; I can’t afford to suck at this,” Dowoon says.

               “Uh, yeah, I know how to cook,” Jaehyung says, grabbing the doughs together. “I live alone. I think I know how to survive.”

               “You live off canned goods and ramyeon,” Jieun says.

               “I said ‘survive’, not ‘eat like a king’.” Jaehyung combines all the doughs to make them into one big mother dough. “Anyway, I’ve never baked before, but I figure cooking is the same as baking. It's all food, anyway, right?”

               Jieun and Dowoon stare at him.

               “Right, you two of all people wouldn’t be able to know the answer to that.” He looks up at the ceiling. “Why are we making food for the only person who actually knows how to make food?”

               “Amen,” Dowoon says, nodding in agreement.

               With their combined total of three and a half brain cells, they manage to flatten the dough into a lumpy sheet, different colors still present. Jieun says it probably fine; it makes the dough look prettier.

               Dowoon brings out a set of cookie cutters (that he _also_ asked his mother to buy since they didn't have any on hand).

               “We have to press these onto the dough, right?” Dowoon asks, looking at the metal things. “Are they even sharp enough?”

               “Why don't we just use a knife?” Jieun asks, and she swings one up next to her, making Dowoon and Jaehyung duck.

               “When did you even get that?” Jaehyung asks, having moved a visible distance from his best friend.

               “I had it this entire time,” she answers, raising more questions. “Duh.”

               So, using the cookie cutters as a guide, they cut shapes out of the flattened dough using the (very scary) knife. Jaehyung shaped out a rather jagged-lined heart and Jieun cut holes out of a circle cookie to make a smiley face.

               “Alright, we’re set to go!” Jieun prompts, after they set the doughs on the bare baking sheet. “Open the doors to the fiery abyss, Jae!”

               “Aye, aye, captain,” he says, opening the door.

               Jieun slips the baking sheet into the oven and almost burns her hands. “Woah, that's hot!” she says, after Jaehyung closes the door. She caresses her bare hands. “Bakers are really strong people,” she comments. “Kudos to them.”

               “How long did it say to bake them for?” Jaehyung asks.

               Dowoon checks his phone. “Fifteen minutes,” he answers.

               “Ugh, that’s so long.”

               “Wait, but if we bake them for fifteen minutes at 180 degrees, then that means…” Jieun looks up, thinking in her head. She snaps her fingers. “2,700 degrees for one minute.”

               “So, does that mean we can bake it for 162,000 degrees for one second?” Dowoon asks, squinting.

               “I think so!”

               Jaehyung squints at the oven. “But it only goes up to 250, though.”

               “Aw,” Dowoon and Jieun say.

               “Let’s just go with 250 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes and 48 seconds,” Jieun says, cranking up the heat.

               And so, they wait sitting on the bar stools of the counter, Dowoon staring intensely at the timer on his phone.

               “This was fun,” Jieun says, leaning on the counter with her elbows. “I've always wanted to try baking before.”

               “Jieun, you're banned from the kitchen for a reason,” Jaehyung says. “Even Grandmother doesn't let you in the kitchen. And she lets you do whatever you want.”

               “Eh.” She presses her entire weight on the counter, stretching her arms forward. “I’ll just have to marry someone who knows how to cook.”

               “Do you guys really think the cookies will turn out fine?” Dowoon asks, staring at the oven. They're looking brown. Are they supposed to be brown? Some cookies look brown even before they're put in the oven. But Dowoon’s cookies are multicolored. What the frick happens to multi-colored cookies?

               When neither of them answers, Dowoon turns back. “Why aren't you guys answering?” he asks.

               Jieun and Jaehyung give each other a knowing glance.

               “Nothing, it’s just…” Jaehyung shrugs. “You just seem to care about these cookies a lot.”

               “Of course, I do,” Dowoon says, sighing a little. “Younghyun’s just… Younghyun’s just always been doing so much for me. He walks me to school, he teaches me how to do the chores sometimes, he sings to me, writes songs for me, calls me every day, every _night_ —he’s just this big bubble of love that keeps growing and growing, and _god_ , I want him to feel that kind of love, too.

               “It’s just—I _want_ to make him feel loved. I _want_ to give him everything in the world. All the time he tells me, ‘It’s fine, Dowoon. All I need is you,’ which I _get_ but I also wanna buy things for him, and cook for him, and plan dates with him. _I_ wanna be the one who walks him to school. _I_ wanna be the one who gives, instead of receiving all the time.

               “Every time I look at him, my love overflows and tips over the edge and I want to give it all to him, every single drop of it. I love him so much that I want him to know just how much I do.”

               Dowoon finishes his speech, remembers that there are two other people in the room, and realizes the plethora of words he just dropped on them.

               “I—I mean,” Dowoon says, staring at Jaehyung and Jieun with wide eyes, feeling a distinct warmth come over his ears. They look back with amused smiles. “Not ‘love’—I-I meant ‘like’—it’s not—that isn’t—wasn’t—”

               Suddenly, a distinct smell comes over the room, and it takes one (1) second for Dowoon to realize (a) it came from the oven, and (b) it’s the smell of something burning.

               “Holy frosted donuts!” Jaehyung yells, and they all run to the oven. He pulls down the door and immediately the burning smell intensifies, all of them coughing a bit. He grabs the baking sheet with his bare hands, and yelps, “Hot, hot, hot!”

               “Here, Jae!” Jieun says, giving him two pairs of tongs. Jaehyung grabs them and gingerly grabs the baking sheet with them, bringing them over to the counter. Dowoon closes the door to the oven, and approaches them, wanting to check on the status of the cookies.

               They're burnt to the crisp, some of them having broken down to black specks of dust. Jaehyung’s heart is cracked in the middle. Jieun’s smiley face disintegrated.

               “Maybe…” Jaehyung starts. “Maybe they're just charred?”

               “Jae, you know I am the absolute queen of positivity, but you and I both know these cookies are more than charred,” Jieun says.

               Dowoon picks up a cookie. He bites on it. It dissolves into dust.

               It’s awful. It tastes awful.

               “Why the heck did I never learn how to bake,” Dowoon whispers. Jieun pats him on the back.

               Jaehyung sighs, then addresses the two of them.

               “You know there's only one way to solve this, right?” he asks, and the two of them sigh at the same time.

               Dowoon’s call is answered only after one (1) ring.

 

“Well, your oven still works, at least,” Younghyun says, walking over to them and wiping his hands on a towel. “Though you probably should never try to use it ever again.”

               He had come over in ten minutes, looking like he ran a marathon. The three of them all had sheepish smiles on, standing in the middle of the catastrophe that was the messy kitchen, the chunk of volcanic ash on the counter, and the smell of burnt acid in the air.

               He made them clean everything up first (“Rule number one for baking: always keep your workplace clean.” “But that’s so much work.” “Always. Keep. It. Clean.”), throwing away all the unusables and starting again with the leftover ingredients (“Why on Earth did you buy so much?” “I didn't know if it was enough.” “I swear to god.”).

               He told them to mix all the ingredients well, making sure that they're all incorporated, no other color than light brown (the dough itself) and dark brown (the chocolate chips) visible. Instead of flattening everything out with a rolling pin (“Have you even seen someone use a rolling pin before?” “... No.” “Why.”), he made tiny balls out of the dough and placed them a distance from each other on the parchment on the baking sheet. Apparently, the cookies were supposed to flatten out _while_ they were baking.

               Also, apparently, baking cookies at 180 degrees for fifteen minutes is not the same as baking cookies at 162,000 degrees for one second.

               “You're going to burn your house down!” Younghyun exclaimed, looking absolutely livid.

               “I didn't _know_ ,” Dowoon whined.

               Younghyun sighed and kissed him on the forehead. “You're lucky I’m in love with you.”

               And, so, after fifteen minutes of baking, they ended up with thirty-six perfectly baked chocolate chip cookies, the sweet smell of such dancing in the air and eradicating the curse that was the black burnt chips birthed from the depths of despair.

               “Oh, my god, these look so good,” Jaehyung said, about to take a piece.

               Younghyun slapped his hand. “We have to wait for it to cool down,” he scolded.

               “I hate _waiting_ ,” Jaehyung groaned.

               “Waiting hates you, too.”

               Younghyun left them to wait for the cookies in agony while he went to clean up the kitchen, not trusting any of them. Now that he's done, he stands next to the three of them as Jieun and Dowoon continue to draw some shapes on the cookies using a bottle of white chocolate syrup.

               “I can't believe you guys used the cookie cutter as a _guide_ to cutting the cookies,” he says. “It’s called a cookie _cutter_ for a _reason_.”

               “Can you _stooop_?” Jaehyung protests.

               “You held the baking sheet with your _bare_ hands! You used _tongs_ to remove them from the oven!”

               “I thought baking was the same as cooking!”

               “Jaehyung, baking is _not_ the same as cooking. It’s an exact science. In cooking, you can change up the measurements and still end up with a good dish, but if you mess up on _one_ thing with baking, everything falls apart.”

               “I can't believe I’m saying this,” Jieun says, “but Younghyun is now officially the smartest one in this group.”

               “At least when it comes to baking,” Jaehyung says.

               “At least when it comes to baking.”

               Younghyun rolls his eyes, but he's smiling.

               “Okay, but why didn't you guys call me sooner?” he asks. “You all know I know how to bake. We could have avoided literally _all_ of this.”

               The three of them share a look. Dowoon locks eyes with Jieun and she gives him a shrug.

               Dowoon takes a deep breath. “W-well, you see…”

               He moves the tray where they placed the newly cooled cookies and puts it in front of Younghyun. The shapes on the cookies spell out:

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOUNGHYUN!**

               Younghyun stares at it, face blank.

               “I-It was my idea,” Dowoon timidly says. “I-I mean, I _know_ I could've just bought you a cake or something, but I wanted to make something special for you. You're always so good to me, and you're always pulling stuff like this, so I figured it was my turn to do something for you.

               “A-and, yeah, I know your birthday is still in, like, five days, but I figured you'll probably celebrate it with your parents, so I just did this in advance, a-and since you ended up making it yourself, it probably lost its meaning, but I just really wanted—”

               Dowoon didn't even notice that Younghyun had left his seat and walked up to Dowoon until he's already wrapping his arms around him, squeezing tighter than he's ever before, burying his face in Dowoon’s shoulder.

               And, god, Younghyun’s hugged him so many times before, and the warmth that spreads across his entire body is a feeling that Dowoon’s grown to be familiar with.

               But this time feels different. This time feels new. This time Younghyun’s hugging him with a bigger heart that's begging to be let out from his chest, unable to contain it, unable to control it.

               “I love you,” Younghyun whispers, and it's such a contrast to the noise of his embrace, the loudness and extravagance of it. His voice is small, but those three words are bigger, heavier, and meant. _Really_ meant. Truest of the truest.

               Dowoon places his hands on Younghyun’s back, hugging him back.

               “I like you, too.” One day, he'll say it. On a day where flowers and stars merge together, he'll say it.

               He will; he definitely will.

               Dowoon suddenly hears a sniffle, and says, “Are you crying?” incredulous.

               “No,” Younghyun lies, voice muffled, and Dowoon laughs a little, gently moving him off him. He sees the tiny drops of water still starting to form in the corner of Younghyun’s eyes and wipes them with both thumbs.

               “Who knew you were such a crybaby?” Dowoon teases a little, smiling at him.

               Younghyun laughs a little, and Dowoon’s convinced the twinkling lights in the sky can't possibly compare to what's in front of him.

               Dowoon leans in and kisses him, giving him all the love he can muster, all the love he has, and the love that continues to grow bigger, the love he'll keep giving.

               He pulls away and kisses his forehead, and when Younghyun giggles at that, Dowoon lets a big smile come over his face. It's a good feeling to give.

               The sound of munching distracts Dowoon from their sappy situation.

               The both of them turn to see Jieun and Jaehyung in the middle of eating the cookies; they still themselves when they notice Younghyun and Dowoon looking at them, cheeks full like chipmunks.

               “... It's really good,” Jieun says, words garbled.

               “It’s really good,” Jaehyung agrees, already grabbing another cookie. “Can I keep some of these for noona?”

               Dowoon hears Younghyun breathe a laugh behind him, and he feels a pair of arms wrap around his torso, a chin resting familiarly on his shoulder.

               “Why not?” he says. “The more the merrier.”

               Dowoon feels a smile tug at his lips, and he lets it, placing his hand over Younghyun’s, not needing more than it.

 

“I’m gonna have to prepare something for your birthday, too, now,” Younghyun laughs, taking a bite out of a cookie.

               Dowoon, Jaehyung, and Jieun stare at him.

               “... Why are you all staring at me like that?” Younghyun asks, looking at them all.

               “Younghyun, Dowoon’s birthday was four months ago,” Jieun says.

               “ _What_?” Younghyun yells, then turns to Dowoon. “Why didn't you tell me?”

               “We weren't even friends, then.”

               “I could've done at least _something_.” Younghyun slumps in his seat. “Now, I’m gonna have to wait for nine months.”

               “Eight months, Younghyun,” Jieun corrects.

               “Whatever!”

               Dowoon shakes his head a little, leaning against Younghyun and letting him hold his hand as he laments. Well, in all honesty, Younghyun _did_ give him the best gift, even though he didn't know it was his birthday.

               It just came a month after, in the form of a hand blocking one that would hurt him, and a hand that lead him to wherever the night would take him.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY (EARLY) BIRTHDAY, YOUNGHYUN!
> 
> FUN FACT(S)  
> • i made sure to organize the order of the chapters so that this particular one goes in-line with younghyun's birthday in real life :'). i love my baby boi so much you dont understand  
> • this chapter made me particular stressed because of the organization lmao everything had to be ordered based off this one ahashkhjk end me  
> • also yes dowoon, jieun, and jaehyung are idiots when it comes to things like this lmao
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	13. Café Noona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Go Areum.

It is a normal Tuesday afternoon at Beauteaful. The natural light shines a beacon inside the café as customers make idle chatter at their respective seats, some at the dining tables, others at the bar stools either by the windows or by the counter, and a few at the couches at the corner.

               When one walks inside as the sound of a bell rings, one can immediately get a wift of the beautiful aroma of coffee and cakes and everything in between. It is a cozy place, one favored by students and stressed employees who just want to either wind down or work on their work in peace.

               But our focus today is not the wonderland that is the Beauteaful Café, but rather the woman standing behind the counter. Her hair is tied to a neat low ponytail as it always is, the makeup on her face is simple but elegant, and her barista is uniform ironed and in-tune with the neutral palette of the café.

               Today, we’ll be following a day in the life of Go Areum, a sophomore at her university and part-time worker at Beauteaful Café.

               Go Areum usually starts her day waking up in the morning as soon as the alarm on her phone goes off. She sits up in her bed, stretches out her arms without any sign of a yawn, and gets off, not forgetting to make the bed before she leaves her room to cook herself breakfast.

               On this particular day, she chose to cook herself some scrambled eggs mixed with a couple tomatoes and topped with grated cheese, situating itself on a well-toasted piece of loaf bread. She prepares herself coffee from the coffee maker, sits peacefully at her dining table, and eats as anyone would on a normal peaceful day. Her apartment has a generally light-colored palette, all pristine whites and shiny silvers but with the occasional dark brown—truly a reflection of Go Areum’s elegant and high-class personality.

               After washing up her dishes, she goes back to her room to wash up and to change into her daily clothes. Today it seems that she chose a simple white collared button-down with a pink ribbon at the top center, a pair of blue capris, and a shiny gold pair of doll shoes, a golden ribbon sitting prettily by the center of the tips.

               Looking in the mirror, she ties her hair neatly in a simple low ponytail and applies her makeup for the day: a slight curling of the eyelashes, a natural pink blush on her cheeks, and a slightly-redder-than-pink tint for her lips. She smiles closed-mouthed at her reflection in the mirror, satisfied, before she grabs her backpack, a tiny brown one with very long straps, ready to get to her first class of the day.

               Go Areum attends one of the city’s well-known universities. Not as prestigious as others, but still has a positive reputation nonetheless. As the university is close to her apartment, she more often than not opts to walk the way there, rarely stopping for a detour.

               She enters her class, smiling at the other students as she does, and takes a seat with her fellow Business Management majors ten minutes before the professor walks in.

               Go Areum is the type of college student to sit in the middle of the rows and at the edge of the columns in class. She brings out a notebook and has pens and highlighters of colors pink, blue, and violet to color-code her notes. When she writes, it's in cursive. When the teacher is distracted, she reviews what she’s written.

               She is neat, and elegant, and poise. She is ethereal, unreachable, and far away. And everyone who talks to her knows it.

               She smiles more often than she speaks. She smiles more often than she doesn't. And everyone who approaches her is dumbstruck, starstruck, and smitten.

               When people approach her for something, they often can't look her in the eye. When people talk to her, they blush and stutter all the time. And Areum smiles at them, as she usually does, pretty and beautiful and perfect.

               She finishes her classes for the day, leaving the room only after settling some group works with her stuttering classmates, and leaves the university to go to her work at Beauteaful Café.

               As she walks inside the café, heads turn and cups clatter. She greets the eyes hers lock with with a smile and keeps walking further. One of her coworkers with a name tag Dong Yieun greets her with a simple wave of the hand, familiar with her and unbothered.

               She changes into her barista uniform and stands in front of the counter for her shift for the day, greeting every customer with her beautiful closed-mouth smile, telling them, “Welcome to Beauteaful Café.”

               One hour passes, and then another. Customers leave and more customers order. One of her coworkers Yuqi ends her shift and greets her goodbye, and Yieun looks like he couldn't be more tired.

               And then, the bell rings, and in comes a black-haired eyeglasses-wearing individual, wearing a uniform that she now knows is for a high school, and he locks eyes with her. He waves at her with a simple wave, greets her with an awkward unnatural smile, and she lets out a laugh, grinning widely.

               She tells him, “And what would you want today, dear customer?”

               And he laughs. “Anything I haven't ordered yet, noona.”

               So, she prepares a raspberry milk drink for him and, seeing as it's already her break, brings it to him at the counter by the window.

               They talk to each other as they usually do, the boy telling things about his friends and school, and her telling things about her work and school. He tries to imitate a plane flying over his school, accidentally spilling over his drink, and Areum lets out a loud laugh, louder than the usual laughs she gives, grinning wider than the usual grins she gives.

               She smiles more often than she speaks. She laughs more often than she smiles. And when she smiles, it’s wide and open and grinny.

               She is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

               The sound of a camera shutter distracts the two of them and they both turn to look at three individuals sitting at one of the tables of the café, a boy, another boy, and a girl. The first boy and the girl immediately notice them looking and cover their faces with a notebook and a piece of paper, respectively. The second boy looks up from his phone in confusion before the first boy promptly smacks a notebook in his face, covering his as well.

               The boy in front of Areum stares at them, deadpan.

               “Do you know those three?” she asks, noticing the familiarity in his eyes.

               “Unfortunately,” he answers. “They're my friends.”

               “Your friends?” she asks, watching as the second boy struggles to grab at the notebook on his face which the first boy has his palm open on.

               “Unfortunately,” he replies, “they're my friends.”

               “The smart one, the dumb one, and the secretly evil one?” she asks, recalling how the boy described them before.

               “That would be them, yes.”

               “Oh, why are they doing here?”

               A sigh. “Probably on a heist.”

               “A ‘heist’?”

               “It’s okay, noona. You don't have to know.”

               He shakes his head before turning back to her. “Sorry my friends are weird.”

               Areum laughs a little at that. “Well, birds of a feather do flock together, don't they?” she says with a grin.

               The boy in front of her opens his mouth at that, staring agape and looking surprised. And Areum lets the giggles take over her, laughing loud, loud, and clear. And eventually, the boy laughs, too, and the conversations afterward have traces of it in them.

               Eventually, the time for her break ends and she stands up to leave. Eventually, the boy that was in front of her bids her goodbye and leaves with that same awkward smile. Eventually, she returns back behind the counter, ready with her perfect smile, closed-mouthed and beautiful, greeting every customer with, “Welcome to Beauteaful.”

               Her day ends with twinkling lights only starting to wake up in the dark blue blanket above her. She changes back into her regular clothes, bids her coworkers goodbye, telling Yieun to not fall asleep on the job, and leaves the café, walking the way home.

               When she reaches the door of her apartment, she pauses for a bit, hand loosely grabbing at the doorknob. She looks back behind her and sees an empty road, save for a cat licking its paw by the sidewalk. Then, she turns back and walks inside, a tiny smile on her face.

               She cooks herself spaghetti pasta and eats at the dining table peacefully. She washes the dishes, goes to her room to wash up, remove her makeup, and sit at her desk to do her homework, days before it is due. And when she sleeps that night, it’s at 9:23, and when she’ll wake up the next morning, it’s at 7:30.

               Go Areum is diligent, refined, and reliable. She is perfect, elegant, and poise. She is a wonderful, unreachable, and so, so far away.

               She’s high up in the skies where no one can reach her. She’s a step up ahead where no one can go near her. And her smile is eye-catching, attractive, and graceful. Gentle. Modest. Meek.

               But before she went to bed and did her homework and ate her dinner, she got distracted by the incessant buzzing on her phone and almost spilled sauce on her shirt. Before she went to bed and did her homework, she kept replying to the same person with a grin on her face and had to put it down just to get started on her work. Before she went to bed, she smiled up at her phone and let the light reflect in her eyes even though it might damage them.

               And Go Areum isn’t usually like this. She’s usually so responsible and level-headed and perfect.

               She is the epitome of elegance, the embodiment of grace, and the perfect example for the perfect person.

               But tonight, she is simply beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

               And so ends the day of Go Areum.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN FACT(S)  
> • I wrote that breakfast scene when I was hungry  
> • Also I wrote this when there was no power out lmaoooo also it was raining really hard like the winds were all whoosh whoosh and it was kinda scary cause I think there was an earthquake at one point, but idk  
> • I finished this in, like, an hour??? Also edited it the next day for a few minutes  
> • Changed up some parts a week later. Also credit to @flyfarahway for suggesting that Areum eat pasta for dinner ayy lmao
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she posted this [time-travel yoonjin au](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036871729958739969) on twitter, so if you're interested go check them out!
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	14. Jaehyung and Café Noona (pt. 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the awaited day of Jaehyung and Areum's not-date and no, he is not freaking out at all. He's just nervous. There's a difference. There's a _difference_ , Jieun—

“ _—and don’t forget to bring baby wipes on your date—_ ”

               “It’s not a date,” Jaehyung grumbles to Jieun for the tenth time, looking in the mirror and making sure his collar is at the right angle. Or maybe this would look better. No—this one.

               “ _You’re hanging out with Areum-unnie, the girl of your_ freaking _dreams, on a_ weekend _with_ only _the two of you, and you tell me it’s not a date?_ ” Jieun says from the phone speaker, the device lying down on the table. “ _Jae. I thought you were smarter than this_.”

               Jaehyung rolls his eyes. Ever since he told Jieun that he asked Areum out to hang, she's been treating it like they’re already an official couple and asking him “when’s the wedding”. She even made a banner with the words JAEHYUNG X AREUM in bright gold. Bright gold.

               “Ji, all I did was ask her if she wanted to hang out,” he says, straightening his shirt. “I never called it a date and she most definitely does not know I have feelings for her, so can you maybe chill?”

               He can practically see Jieun rolling her eyes.

               “ _Jae_ ,” she starts. “ _My bro. My best friend. My one and only platonic soulmate. My standard to whether or not I did a good jo—_ ”

               “Jieun. Please.”

               “ _Fine, fine. Look. Maybe you don’t call it a date and maybe she doesn't know that you like her. But the fact of the matter is that you do, and today is gonna be a special day for you, even if she doesn't know it._ ”

               Jaehyung lets out a sigh. As much as Jaehyung doesn’t want to admit it, Jieun’s right and what she said is true.

               Despite getting more used to being around Areum—sharing jokes with her and telling her stories about his life, not to mention knowing more about her, too—today is making him such a nervous wreck that he feels like he's going to throw out the cool he developed and go back to the Park Jaehyung who first laid eyes on her. He wants today to go well. He wants this day to be perfect. Like her. Perfect just like her.

               “ _Hey, Jae_ ,” Jieun says, and despite it all, her voice is comforting. Soothing. Familiar. And god, no matter how much they “fight” and drag each other, he's grateful for her. Grateful that she's his best friend.

               “Yeah?” Jaehyung says, voice softer than he expected it to be. Uncharacteristic of him. Different.

               “ _Today is gonna go great_.”

               And just like that, a smile comes up his face, genuine and real.

               “ _‘Course, that only applies if you bring baby wipes. You never know when you need to take a dump, Jae._ ”

               And just like that, she ruins it.

               (But he brings baby wipes, anyway.)

 

Jaehyung looks around the venue, more nervous than he’s ever been before. He's clutching onto his phone, the _on my way there, jaehyung! ^^_ Areum sent moments ago still visible on the screen.

               He ended up just dumping away the polo and slacks he previously decided on to replace it with a dark green flannel shirt, a white t-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans lest he look like some rando on his first job interview. Which he cannot afford.

               In all honesty, Jaehyung is not the type of person to fuss over what to wear on a not-date, over whether or not his hair looks too messy or not messy enough, or over whether he being thirty minutes early would come off as too clingy. He’s always been the chill kind of person, who just grabs whatever he sees when he and Jieun go out on the weekend, who doesn't really need to join clubs and do more than just show up to class, who’s always satisfied with “enough” and doesn't want to do any more than that.

               Jaehyung is the type of person who gets crushes on people but doesn't ever like them enough to really pursue them. He is the type of person who doesn't have a favorite drink to order at a café. The type of person who came up with a blank at the career assessment months ago.

               But Areum. Areum makes him so nervous he doesn't know what to do. When she smiles, Jaehyung wants to see it again. When she speaks, Jaehyung wants to hear it over and over. And god, Jaehyung’s never seen anyone as beautiful or perfect as her.

               She's his first favorite. His first “I want you no matter what”. The first person to ever give him a reason to step forward when he’d usually be fine standing by the sidelines.

               Because this time, he can't afford to watch her slip away from him. This time, he doesn’t think he’ll ever be satisfied.

               He feels someone tap his shoulder.

               When he turns, it’s like staring into direct sunlight.

               Areum is smiling up at him, red lips and pink cheeks ever beautiful. She's wearing a brown cardigan and a light blue shirt. She’s wearing white capris and a pair of golden doll shoes.

               And her hair is down. Her hair is down and it's beautiful and she's beautiful and god, Jaehyung is just as whipped as Dowoon is for Younghyun and oh, dear lord, Jieun is gonna tease him for weeks when he tells her about this.

               “Hey,” Areum greets with a wave of the hand. “I’m not too late, am I?”

 _Never._ “Uh, no, actually.” Jaehyung shrugs. “I just got here, too.”

               “Shall we, then?” she says, smiling, and Jaehyung lets a physically tiny but emotionally gargantuan smile crawl up his face.

               “Sure, noona.” _Anything for you_.

*

They had decided to hang out at the aquarium. Jaehyung didn't really mind which place they would go to (a more sappy but not less whipped version of him would have said something like “It doesn't matter where he goes, as long as it was with her”) and he didn't really have a set venue in mind. Besides, from the few times he went there during school field trips, he really did like watching all the tiny fishes swim around in schools and watching a manta ray fly above him in a dome. He's no biologist, but he still thinks that's pretty rad.

               Jaehyung and Areum walk together after getting their tickets, about to go into the first room. There isn't much people today, just a couple families with their excited kids and a couple couples also on a date— _I mean hanging out_.

               “So, um,” Jaehyung starts, “any reason why you chose the aquarium, noona?” She was the one who suggested to go here.

               Areum smiles at him and says, “It’s my favorite place in the world.”

               Jaehyung looks at her, surprised. “Really?”

               “Really,” she laughs, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

               “Why so?”

               “I don't know—it’s just—” She sighs wistfully. “Every time I walk in here, it’s like I’m in a completely different world. Everything's just so ethereal and magical—and it’s just so special to me. I just love being here.”

               Jaehyung watches her smile to herself. He's never thought of the aquarium of something worthy of “magic” or anything. Yeah, the animals are all cool and stuff, but the only reason why he’s even gone here is because they had to or else their elementary grade teacher (freaking Mr. Gong can _suck_ it; god, Jaehyung hated him) bust a nut and fail them for not attending the field trip.

               But watching that beautiful smile on Areum’s face makes one crawl up on his own. He figures he can afford believing in a little pixie dust for today.

               They enter the first room and suddenly a looming darkness comes over them, the door behind them slamming shut, making the world deadly silent.

               Uh. This is. This wasn't here before.

               “Um, noona?” Jaehyung starts, a little (a lot) nervous. “Where are you?”

               He hears a laugh somewhere to his right and before he knows it, someone slips their hand under his arm.

               “I thought you said this isn't your first time here?” she says, and it takes a few seconds for Jaehyung to realize _that’s Areum’s hand on his arm_.

               “W-w-well, I-I h-h-haven’t b-b-been here s-since e-elementary, so…?” Jaehyung’s dying. He's dying. No, he's dead. He's already gone to paradise and Areum holding his arm is his reward for being a good person.

               Areum laughs again. “Well, don't chicken out yet, Jaehyung,” she teases. “We've got a whole world to explore.”

               And suddenly he's pulled forward, almost tripping over himself if not for the hand holding his arm. He hears a melody of laughter dancing in the air, smells an aroma of perfume colored pink, and smiles to himself, letting himself be lead.

               They pass by glass panes glowing bright blue, the little fishes in them swimming happily in groups, colored silver, black, orange, and blue. Every time they come across a tank, Areum stops and starts naming the fishes and reading off the metal plates stuck to the wall. She puts her face close to the glass, waving with her free hand at the fishes with a bright smile, and Jaehyung feels his chest glow as much as the water every time.

               “This one is Sally and that one is Eunsoo,” she says when they pass by one of the glasses.

               “‘Sally’ and ‘Eunsoo’?” Jaehyung repeats, bending down as Areum is still holding onto him, their shoulders touching. (By the way, if you're wondering, yes, Jaehyung is still freaking out about that. He's just tired of having to talk about it literally every time. Just insert him freaking out every two or three sentences.)

               The fishes swimming in this container are shaped like doritos. Or paper fans. With stripes lining them, of different colors. Their top and bottom fins are longer than their butt fins, almost like wings.

               “That one’s Sally—” she points to a fish colored silver everywhere except its cheeks, which are pink— “and that one's Eunsoo.” She points to a fish colored a darker bluish-black. “I named them a while back. Don't tell the fishkeepers but I secretly adopted them as my own. I visit them almost every week.”

               Jaehyung smiles, trying to bite the giddiness down. “Are these your favorite kind of fish?” he asks, looking down at her.

               “Yes, actually,” she laughs, looking up at him. “Oh! Oh!” she suddenly says, spotting something behind him. “It’s Nemo and Marlin!”

               Areum practically yanks Jaehyung away and he catches the name of Sally and Eunsoo’s species only barely. _Pterophyllum_.

 _Huh_ , Jaehyung thinks as Areum excitedly drags him away. _That’s fitting_.

               They pass by silver milkfish, royal blue dory, bright orange clownfish, a group of fish that look like they’re twirling in place, red firefish, and more. Jaehyung has to admit seeing all these little guys swimming around in their tanks has got him just a tad bit into them as Areum is. He personally has taken a liking to the cute little glass fish, who kinda look like tadpoles, if tadpoles were transparent.

               “You wanna give a couple of them names, too?” Areum asks.

               Jaehyung thinks about it as he stares at one of them. It’s swimming on top of a plant, just near the glass. It stays there for a little while, staring at Jaehyung, making tiny Os with its mouth. He only takes a couple more seconds before deciding.

               “Areum,” he says. “I wanna name this one Areum.”

               Areum lets out a laugh. “After me?” she asks.

               “Yeah,” he says, looking at her. “After you.”

               She looks up at Jaehyung for a moment, and there's something in the way she stares at him. But then she smiles and whatever was there is gone.

               “Well, that's sweet of you,” she says and turns to Areum the Fish. “Nice to meet you, Areum!” She waves.

               Areum the Fish swims towards the glass and promptly boops its own head onto it, looking confused for a few moments. Jaehyung smiles at it, feeling a wide grin slowly crawl up his face.

               “Hope to see you again, Areum,” he says, voice small, keeping that grin on his face.

               He waves at it a little before moving on.

               The next room is almost like the first one, with that same looming darkness over them, except instead of the cylindrical tanks being lit up by artificial lights, they’re lit up by the jellyfish swimming inside them.

               “Woah, that’s lit!” Jaehyung almost exclaims, standing in front of one glowing fiery pink. “Literally—it’s _lit_.”

               Areum giggles next to him. “I’m guessing you like this one?” she asks.

               “Uh, _heck_ yeah,” Jaehyung answers, not taking his eyes off the giant half-deflated flying balloons with more strings than necessary. “Science is so cool.”

               Areum stares up at the jellyfish, as well. “It’s good that you like them,” she says. “They'll be leaving the aquarium soon.”

               “What? Why?” Jaehyung turns to her.

               “All of the ocean life in this aquarium were either found injured or got stuck in trash in the seas,” she says, the light of the jellyfish reflected in her eyes. “These jellyfish in particular were found almost lifeless by the shores in Busan. But now they've completely recovered.”

               Jaehyung turns back to the jellyfish. “So, they can go back to the sea.”

               “Yeah.”

               “But they'll have to leave to go back.”

               “Yeah,” Areum says again, a small smile on her face.

               It’s weird, seeing that smile on her face. He's actually seen it lots of times before. But he didn't know it was a smile she used it for things like this.

               “I’m glad I got to see them now,” Jaehyung says.

               Areum turns to him, then, and a different smile appears on her face, grinny.

               “I’m glad you did, too.”

               The next room they walk into is a lot wider than the previous ones and better lit, no more of that creepy-esque darkness from before. A couple of people are here, too, including that family from before. One of the kids has curly hair and when Jaehyung and Areum pass by them, he guesses they're from Australia basing from their accent.

               The room is circular in shape, the walls windows showcasing other fish and sea creatures. A tunnel across the room leads to the next one. There are stairs going down in the middle showcasing a wide, low, and open container with what looks like corals, sponges, starfish, sea cucumbers, and the like. It’s mostly kids hanging around there, trying to get their hands on the things and stressing out the staff rather visibly.

               Areum and Jaehyung walk by the walls, which showcase larger fishes than the ones before. He spots swordfish, manta rays, blowfish, what the metal plate on the walls says is arapaima, rockfish, and more. Jaehyung thinks this part of the aquarium is _super_ rad.

               “Which one do you think will win in a fight?” Jaehyung asks Areum, pointing at two fishes, one dark and pebble-y while the other is brown and poofy.

               “The stonefish and the pufferfish?” Areum asks, looking closer into the glass. “Hmm… well the pufferfish is the world’s most poisonous fish, which means that if the stonefish tried to bite it, it would probably die. But the stonefish is the world’s most _venomous_ fish, so the pufferfish has a disadvantage since it can't defend itself from the stonefish’s spines…

               “So, I’d probably say the stonefish,” Areum concludes as Jaehyung snaps his finger and says, “The stonefish, then!”

               They look at each other, surprised at arriving at the same conclusion, and Jaehyung, out of habit, brings up a fist for her to pound it.

               They stare at Jaehyung’s raised fist for a while, the seconds that slowly pass by becoming more painfully awkward. _Haha!_ Jaehyung thinks. _End me!_

               But then, Areum creates a fist out of her free hand, presses it onto Jaehyung’s (aching) raised knuckles, and makes an exploding motion with her hand.

               “Ba-la-la-la-la,” she says, looking up at Jaehyung with a questioning smile. “... Is that not it?” she asks when she sees Jaehyung’s starstruck expression.

“Nothatwasitthatwasdefinitelyititcouldnthavebeenanymoreitthanit,” Jaehyung quickly says, trying to push away the force that took a hold of his heart and started squeezing really, really hard.

               Areum laughs at him, then, and god, he is never going to get tired of thinking about how beautiful she is.

               “Hey, noona, do you want to be a scientist?” he asks, curious. “You seem to like animals a lot.” And frankly, the image of Areum smiling and taking care of jellyfish just sends him to The Land of Soft Hours.

               “Well, I do love these adorable cuties,” she says, looking at the grouchy face of a sea creature that looks like it was embedded into the ground, “but no, I don't want to be a scientist.”

               “Then, what do you want to be, noona?”

               She smiles to herself.

               “I want to put up my own café and bakeshop,” she answers. “Just like Beauteaful.”

               “Is that why you work there?” Jaehyung asks.

               “Exactly,” she says.

               “Why do you want to put up your own café?”

               “You of all people should know that, Jaehyung,” she says, smiling at him. “It’s why you're my favorite customer, after all.”

               Jaehyung takes a moment.

               “Because I keep ordering?” he asks.

               “Because you keep coming back,” she says. “It’s nice to see someone smile, but it's even better to see it over and over again. And even better when that smile is because of you, don't you think?”

 _I think so, yes. I think so very well_.

               “I guess that makes sense, noona.” Jaehyung shrugs, pushing down the giddiness in his chest.

               “How about you, Jaehyung?” she asks. “What do you want to be?”

               “I don't really know,” he answers, truthfully. “I don't really have any plans. Or, well, ideas.”

               They continue to walk, Jaehyung absentmindedly running a line along the glass with a finger.

               “I guess I've never really thought about it?” Jaehyung continues, spotting a family of seahorses hiding under a plant. “I’ve never really been interested in much. I mean, I like basketball and I guess I’m into music, but it's more of a hobby than anything. I don't really want to make a career about it.”

               Areum hums in response. “Not even when you were a kid?”

               At that, Jaehyung breathes out a laughter. “Well, actually, yeah, kind of,” he says, remembering. “But, uh… it’s kind of dumb?”

               “Tell me,” she says, smiling.

               “No, no, it’s… it’s really dumb.”

               “Come on, _please_?”

               Jaehyung looks down at Areum and sees her fluttering her eyes at him. He feels Cupid shoot, like, twenty arrows at his chest.

               “Okay, fine,” Jaehyung gives in. “Just… noona, don't laugh, okay?”

               “Promise I won’t.”

               “Okay, uh, actually…” Jaehyung blushes. “I wanted to be a superhero…?” His voice heightens at the last word, the embarrassment kicking in.

               When Areum doesn't say anything for a moment, Jaehyung turns to look at her and sees her holding back maybe about a thousand bubbles of laughter, lips in a crooked smile.

               “Hey!” Jaehyung protests, and Areum’s bubble of laughter bursts out, loud and clear, louder than Jaehyung’s ever heard her laugh before.

               “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she giggles, unable to contain her laughter. She holds onto Jaehyung, almost clings onto him as she tries to stop herself from laughing, but the corners of her eyes are already watering. “It’s… it’s not… I’m not laughing because it’s embarrassing…”

               “Haha, sure, noona,” Jaehyung says, sarcastically.

               “No, no, honestly, I’m not,” Areum says, grin still present as she waves a dismissive hand. “It’s just… When you said you wanted to be a superhero, I just thought it fit you so well. I can honestly imagine you to be like Superman or Batman.”

               “Is the reason why you laughed is because you imagined me in those really tight tights.”

               “Only a little,” Areum giggles, and Jaehyung rolls his eyes. But the sight of her smile heals the wound on his pride just a bit. “I just think it’s the most innocent thing, to want to be a superhero.”

               “Yeah, well,” Jaehyung starts, “I always liked how they always helped people. Like—like you, noona. How you said you wanted to keep bringing smiles to people’s faces. That's one of the most superhero things to do. And the coolest thing is that you're _already_ doing it. Like, you're _already_ a superhero, noona.

               “I guess it's just that I can't really imagine myself to be anything more than I am. Like—I’m just _me_ , you know? Park Jaehyung, eighteen-year-old student with average grades, no interests, no hobbies, no prospects for the future. Not even an idea, or what.

               “Like, all of my friends know what they want to do. My best friend wants to become a lawyer, my other friend wants to be a musician, my _other_ other friend wants to be a teacher—and what do I want to be? I don't even know. I don't even know what I don't even know.

               “I’m eighteen. I should know this by now. I should know what I want to do and how to get there and do it. I should be dreaming about my future and hoping for the best, but I can't even do that because there's nothing for me to hope for!”

               Jaehyung promptly smacks a hand against his mouth, abruptly stopping in his tracks, just now realizing how raised his voice went. Holy—he didn't—he didn't know—

               “S-sorry,” he stutters. “I didn't mean—”

               “You know there's nothing wrong with that, right?” Areum says, quietly. “Not knowing what you want to do?”

               Jaehyung is looking at Areum, but she's looking forward, hand still gripping his arm despite it all.

               “You don't have to know everything right now,” she says. “You don't even need to have a dream. It’s okay to just live through the day. It’s enough, really.

               “People don't have dreams for the sake of having dreams. So you shouldn't make one up just so you can have one. It’s okay to not know. It's okay to just get by.”

               Areum turns to him, then, and her lips are smile-less, but not lacking.

               “You know you're fine the way you are, right?” she says. “You don't need to be any more than you.”

               The longer Jaehyung looks at her, the more he expects a smile to appear on her face. The longer her lips stay as a thin line, the bigger his heart grows. The longer she looks at him like that, the more he wants to lean in and wonder if he'll gain wings by kissing an angel.

               Then, Areum turns away and something lights up in her eyes. She lets go of Jaehyung’s arm and it’s like she slipped away from his grasp, turned into dust and fell right between his fingers. She leaves the room and Jaehyung is left standing, staring after.

               And normally, he'd stay standing, standing as he usually would. Normally, he'd let them slip away from him, let them go without having even tried to grab hold. Normally, he'd turn away and go back home, fine with this, fine with everything.

               But he's not the same anymore. Right now, he's already taking the first step without even thinking. Right now, he wants to see what's on the other side. Right now, he won't let himself be satisfied.

               He takes a step forward and turns a corner.

               Areum is standing in the center of it all, the ocean right above her, around her, light passing through the glass and making shadows of waves out of the tiled floors. A thousand sea creatures swim and swirl around her, a thousand colors passing by Jaehyung’s eyes.

               She's looking up and there's a smile on her face, in her eyes, bright and wide, watching everything around her.

               And right above her, a giant manta ray comes over, swims along the tunnel of glass dividing her and another world. It covers her in an envelope of dark gray as it passes by, and she follows it with her eyes, turning in place.

               It leaves and a door opens, shining a beacon on her, lighting her, lighting up his world. She smiles even wider when it leaves, and when she turns to look at Jaehyung, she smiles even more.

               She’s the reason why it’s so magical in here. She’s the reason why there’s magic at all.

               “Sorry, I left you,” Areum laughs when she sees him staring. “This is my favorite part of this place.”

               The words that come out of Jaehyung’s mouth are loud and clear.

               “Areum-noona,” he says.

               She raises her eyebrows, questioning.

               “Areum, noona,” he says.

               She laughs a little, not understanding.

               “What is it, Jaehyung?” she asks.

               When he says it, he feels his breath leave him. When he says it, he feels his world open up a thousand doors he never knew existed. When he says it, his voice is loud. And clear. And sincere.

               “Noona, I like you. A lot.” _A lot, a lot, a lot._

               At that point, it couldn't have been any truer.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER NOTES  
> • The aquarium here is low-key inspired by manila ocean park LMAO  
> • Also the aquarium from Good Morning Call (watch it on netflix it's really good)  
> • Also Sally and Eunsoo are the names of my classmates from South Korea ayyy lmao
> 
>  
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she has a [yoonjin au thread](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036874047286435840) on twitter (i recommend the genie au one a lot!!) so if you're interested, go check it out! ^^
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	15. Jaehyung and Café Noona (pt. 4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week after the confession.

“Still no response?” Jieun asks, peeking over to look at the screen on Jaehyung’s phone.

               He promptly throws it on his bed, flopping down with it.

               “Nada,” he says, his sentence coming out in a sigh.

               He hasn't spoken with Areum since the day they went to the aquarium. No texts, no calls, nothing. He's been dying to visit her at the café, dying to see her face.

               But he hasn't. It’s been a week.

               He covers his face with an arm, draping it over himself. The scene replays in his mind for the hundredth time.

               He remembered the way the smile on her face faltered, turned down so slowly it was like time slowed itself for that moment. The moment her smile turned into lips parted in alarm, worry, and dread. The moment gray clouds overshadowed the bright sun in the sky. The moment an angel lost its wings, no longer wanting to fly.

               She turned away from Jaehyung and started walking away from him, ignoring Jaehyung’s calls, ignoring Jaehyung’s cries, ignoring Jaehyung’s shouts. Ignoring him following her out of the aquarium, ignoring him following her on the way home, asking what's wrong, asking what he did wrong, asking why she wasn't answering. Ignoring him when he said sorry, when he told her to forget it, to forget all of it. Ignored him when she slammed the door in his face.

               He doesn't understand it. He doesn't understand why Areum didn't answer him, why she won't answer any of his texts or calls, why she just ignored him like that. _How_ she could just ignore him like that. After all the smiles, after all the laughter. After every, “Welcome to Beauteaful.” He doesn't understand it. He doesn't understand it at all.

               He feels the bed dip down to one side and feels a familiar hand place itself on Jaehyung’s forehead.

               “Yes, Doctor,” he hears Jieun say, as if she's talking to someone else other than him or herself. “It seems we have a case of Mybestfriendissupersupersaditis. It looks to be very serious.”

               Jaehyung lets out a deep sigh, removing his arm and looking up at Jieun, who actually has a stethoscope wrapped around her neck (where did she even get that?). He lets out a defeated sigh.

               “How serious is it, Doctor Kim?” he gives in, already dead inside anyway.

               “So serious that my patient is actually playing along instead of glaring at me like he usually does,” Jieun says, pretending like she's examining him thoroughly. “He needs a big dose of mocha ice cream stat.”

               Jaehyung laughs a little at that, feeling good for the first time in seven days, even if it's slight and fleeting.

               “Mom is gonna kill me when she finds out I've been eating nothing but ice cream and brownies for the past days,” he says.

               “She'll probably kill me, too.” Jieun shrugs. “Since I keep making you eat them all.”

               They laugh a little at that and Jaehyung lets the laughter take over him, even just a little part of him. He needs the good. He needs the little bit of sunshine, even if it isn't really from the sun, even if it's just the light from a lightbulb.

               Jaehyung runs both of his palms down his face, keeping them there when he feels more sweat than necessary.

               “I swear to god, Ji, I don't know what to do,” he says, voice muffled. “I’m so sad. I’m so freaking sad and I hate it. I’ve never felt so hopeless before. I’ve never felt so… so freaking _hurt_ before.”

               Jieun pats his hair, consoling.

               “I know, Jae,” she says. “I know it hurts.”

               “So bad.”

               “ _So_ bad.”

               “Worse than anything I've ever felt before.”

               “Probably the worst.”

               “Everything sucks so much.”

               At that, Jieun lets out a breath of laughter.

               “Love sucks, doesn't it?”

               Jaehyung puts down his hands and finds Jieun looking at the window of his room, that sad smile on her face again. He's gotten used to seeing that, being with her long enough.

               It's kind of funny, actually. Usually, it's Jieun who gets so sad like this, who needs to be showered with green tea ice cream and every creampuff from the bakeshop available. Every single time she let her heart break because she overestimated how strong it actually was, everything around her diamond while she was just copper, cutting her open.

               Jaehyung would wonder why she cried so much. He'd wonder why she kept letting herself fall in love when she had nothing to fall back on.

               He still doesn't understand why she let herself fall, but at least now he understands the tears that did.

               “You haven't visited unnie yet at the café?” she asks, turning back to him.

               Jaehyung shakes his head. “No. I don't know what I’d do. Or say. ‘I’m sorry I told you I liked you’? ‘I’m sorry I do’? ‘I’m sorry that I messed everything up and ruined everything and it’s all my—’?”

               “Hey,” Jieun says, flicking him on the forehead. “Stop beating yourself up. You're not the one who ignored you. You're not the one who refuses to give you an answer.”

               “But it’s my fault!” Jaehyung almost exclaims. “I don’t know—I-I must've been too forward. I must've said it weirdly. She must've been overwhelmed and maybe it was too much for her and now she hates me because I was too impatient to wait to tell her I like her!”

               Jieun only takes one beat.

               “You don't think she's capable of making mistakes, too?” she asks, quietly.

               Jaehyung stares at her, not knowing what to say to that.

               “Visit her tomorrow,” Jieun tells him. “Ask her why she isn't talking to you. Push people out of the line and yell at the staff if you have to. If she isn't there, go again. If she's there and she won't answer, then you shouldn't have tried to say hello to her in the first place.”

               Jieun gets up from the bed, leaving no room for protests or replies. She leaves his room and, judging from the sounds coming from the outside, is currently raiding his fridge for some of that kimbap she brought over and made personally with her grandmother.

               Jaehyung lets out a sigh and stares up at his ceiling. There's a single white bulb at the center of it, every other part barren a plain white. When he was a kid, he dreamed of having his own home like this. He would've pasted the stars and the moon on the ceiling, turned off the lights and watch the night sky light up above him while the sun was still out the window. He would've had a secret compartment hidden in the walls where he’d hide his superhero clothes to be instantly ready when some terror occurs. He would've woken up to a buffet of food ready on the table every morning because the house would be magic, magic, magical.

               But his ceiling is barren and the walls are empty and the table in the dining room is dusty because he hasn't wiped them in a while.

               And now, he doesn't even have an angel to give him the wings he needs to fly.

               But even so, he gets up from his bed and checks which clothes he can wear for tomorrow. Even so, he alarms his phone for ten o’clock and makes sure the snooze setting is on. Even so, he goes in the kitchen and starts cooking up ramyeon for Jieun, who had come here without even eating breakfast.

               He’s hurting. He’s sad. And he's hopeless.

               But he isn't going to let himself break until he knows the truth.

               Until he's satisfied.

 

Jaehyung feels the nerves kick in the moment he hears the bell ring, walking inside. The café isn’t crowded yet, but he knows it will be in an hour, and an hour is all that he has.

               When he walks in, his eyes immediately search for a girl with her hair tied into a low ponytail. Searches for red-tinted lips and curled eyelashes and a pink dusting on the cheeks. For a bright smile on her face that should've greeted him, grinny and wide.

               But all there is is a boy behind the counter, looking as bored as ever.

               Jaehyung pushes down the disappointment. _If she's not there, go again_. So, he walks forward to make sure if he really has to go back or not.

               “Excuse me,” he starts and the boy at the counter looks up at him, deadpan. His nametag reads _Dong Yieun._ “Is Go Areum present today?”

               The boy looks up at him, then looks down, then back up again, as if he's checking him out.

               “Are you Park Jaehyung?” Dong Yieun asks.

               Jaehyung feels his heart skip a beat. “Yeah, yeah, that's me, that's me,” he says, albeit a little too quickly. “Did noona say anything? Did she tell you to tell me anything? Is she still avoiding me?”

               Dong Yieun raises a single eyebrow and Jaehyung realizes that maybe he gave a bit too much information than necessary.

               “Well…” Dong Yieun starts. “To tell you the truth…”

               Jaehyung sucks in a breath.

               “Areum-noona moved to Daegu today.”

               It’s like someone took a knife and stabbed him directly in the chest. Jaehyung can't believe what he's hearing. She moved. Areum moved. She moved and now she's gone and everything that's happened was just a big pile of bul—

               “I’m just kidding; she's in the backroom,” Dong Yiuen says, jabbing a thumb behind him. “You look like you're about to cry,” he points out after a while.

               Jaehyung blinks to erase the tea— _sweat_ that was about to spill out of his eyes. “No, I-I’m fine,” he says, sniffling a little. Because of a cold. “I’m fine. I’ll just—I’ll just wait.”

               Dong Yieun shrugs. “Suit yourself,” he says before leaving the counter. “Areum-noona!” he calls out. “We've got a customer!”

               Jaehyung hears a, “Oh? Why me? It's still your shift, though?” and feels his heart contract at the voice. When the owner of the voice comes out with only an apron around her casual clothes instead of a barista uniform, he feels his heart turn small, small, smaller.

               When Areum catches his eye, there's a hint of surprise in her expression and Jaehyung knows that she knows why he's here, that he's here.

               But when she reaches the counter, it’s like she never knew him at all.

               “Welcome to Beauteaful Café. How may I help you?” she asks, flashing him a bright, unfamiliar smile.

               “Noona, I just wanted to talk about what happened last time,” Jaehyung says, feeling his nerves travelling all over his body, fingers tapping nervously.

               “I recommend the salted caramel frappe as it is our bestseller,” she says, smiling.

               Oh, no. She’s—is she—?

               “Noona,” Jaehyung starts, swallowing hard, “ _please_ just talk to me. Was I too forward? Are you avoiding me because I told I li—”

               “Sir, if you could please make your order quickly? There are other customers in line.”

               That’s a lie. There’s no one behind him.

               “Noona, _please_ ,” he pleads. “Don’t be like this. I just—I just want to talk—”

               “Sir, if you aren’t going to order, please leave the café,” Areum says, polite smile on her face ever-evident.

               “Noona…” Jaehyung falters, almost whispers, voice coming down to a stop, something else coming up; he has to blink a couple times to keep it down.

               Areum smiles at him.

               “Please, leave. And have a wonderful day.”

 

Jaehyung doesn't know how long he's been standing by the road outside the café. He had walked out of it in a daze and feeling as if nothing was real. Like he wasn't here. Like everything that happened didn't.

               Areum had ignored him. Areum had pretended he was just another customer. Areum had smiled at him but it wasn't the smile she used to give him.

               A car zooms passed him. A couple of girls laugh as they walk by him. A single butterfly lands on the road in front of him.

               And then a rain comes pouring down on him and it's then that Jaehyung starts to break down.

               Tears waterfall down his face in a way that's never happened before. Every single part of his body is getting soaked because of the rain but he doesn't care, he doesn't care, he doesn't care. Every single nook and cranny of his chest is panging with an excruciating pain that has him crying, bawling, and screaming why, why, _why_.

               He remembers every single moment that made him feel elated and on top of the world. Every single moment she smiled at him, laughed with him, and made him feel like he was more than what what he thought he was.

               She was the one who asked to sit next to him on the bus. She was the one who gave him the first text message. She was the one who suggested they talk during her breaks.

               She was the one who called out to him in the rain. She was the one who said yes to their not-date. She was the one who suggested they go to her favorite place. Her favorite place in the entire world.

               _“You're actually my favorite customer.”_

               _“You're more extraordinary than you think.”_

               _“You don't need to be any more than you are.”_

               And he believed it. He believed all of it. That's why he was able to take a step forward. That's why he was able to tell her. Because he knows he would have regretted it if he didn't. Knew that he wouldn't have lived with the regret. Knew that he wouldn't be satisfied with being satisfied.

               But, god, it hurts. God, it hurts so much that he can't bear it. It hurts so much to be ignored by the one person who actually noticed him. So much to be given a smile he knows isn't real or genuine, to know that it used to be. So much to fall in love and end up only falling. After all the smiles. After all the laughter.

               She was the one who held his hand but then let go of it like it was nothing. She was the one who gave light to his world but then left him with a darkness imminent. She gave him wings but then then ripped them away from him.

               He loved her. He loves her. That's why it's so painful. That's why he's crying so much that the tears won't stop no matter how hard he tries to wipe them away. That's why he's even letting himself cry in the first place when before he'd convince himself he didn't need to.

               People cry as much as they've been happy. And Areum gave him all the happiness in the world.

               He knows this must be the end. He knows that there's no way they could continue from this. Areum was there but she didn't answer and that meant he shouldn't have even said hello in the first place.

               But he still wishes for her. He still wants her. He still wants for it to be her. Even if it isn't her, it's still her.

               He doesn't think he'll love anyone but her.

               So, he cries. So, he cries and sobs and wails and lets the rain soak every part of his body. He lets himself be weak in front of the world and to himself. He lets himself feel all the pain in his chest suffocating him and squeezing his heart so much he can't bear it. He lets it all crash down on him. He lets himself fall after falling in love.

               And then the rain stops.

               The rain stops and Jaehyung slowly looks in front of him, still a sobbing mess, still a million times wet. He can still see the rain pouring down on the other side, but none over him.

               He looks beside him and sees Areum. Just Areum.

               She isn't looking at him. She's looking in front of her. Like she always did.

               “You on your way home?” she asks, still not looking at him.

               Jaehyung wipes at his eyes, sniffling. “Yeah, noona,” he answers, voice small.

               “Let's get you there, then.”

 

They reach his home twenty minutes later, the rain still not letting up. Jaehyung feels cold and he knows he’s probably going to get a fever tomorrow, but right now, that isn't on his mind.

               Because he's already cried everything out, walking with Areum is calmer than any other time they've walked. When he looks at her, his heart is relaxed. Being with her right now is quiet. Right now, he thinks he needs the silence.

               He isn't sure why Areum is with him right now, after everything she did, and after everything she did after. But she's here right now. At least she's here.

               Jaehyung stands in front of the entrance to his apartment, Areum standing under the rain in front of him, umbrella shading her.

               “Thank you for bringing me home, noona,” he says.

               Areum glances away, not saying anything. Still not.

               She turns away, starting to walk away.

               For some reason, his voice comes out before he even thinks of his words.

               “Noona,” he starts, “I like you.”

               She doesn't look back.

               “Noona, I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you.”

               She still doesn't.

               “Noona,” he says, “you like me back.”

               She stops in her tracks, her back to him, just a few steps away. The rain keeps falling down on her.

               “What makes you say that?” she asks, turning back only slightly.

               He doesn't answer.

               Areum turns to look at him fully, finally looks at him in the eye.

               “You don't believe it, don't you,” she says.

               Even after all this time, she still has a way with Jaehyung’s heart that no one else has. Even after all this time, she's still beautiful.

               “You always look down on yourself,” she says. “Why don't you ever think you deserve more than what you have? Why don't you ever think more of yourself?”

               “Do you think more of myself, noona?” he asks.

               “I think of you the way you are.”

               Jaehyung feels a breath leave his lips. Feels another set of tears threaten to slip out. But he pushes them down. Because he needs to let her understand his words.

               “Noona, I like you.”

               “I know.”

               “Noona, I _really really_ like you.”

               “I know you do.”

               “Noona,” he starts, “do you like me?”

               A few beats pass. And a few more. They stare at each other for what feels like forever, but Jaehyung doesn't mind—he said it before, right? If it's her, he'll wait forever.

               “Yes,” she answers. “Yes, I do.”

               Jaehyung feels his heart start beating loudly, blood rushing to his cheeks, elated beyond measure. She likes him. She likes him. She likes him back.

               “But,” Areum continues, “I can’t. I can't like you back like this. Not right now.”

               “Noona—”

               “Jaehyung, I’m older than you. I’m already in college but you're still in high school. I can't take advantage of the way you feel for me just because I feel it back. Jaehyung, I _can’t_ like you back.”

               “But—but it's only two years,” Jaehyung tries. “Two years isn't that big—”

               “But it is, Jaehyung,” Areum cuts him off. “It is for someone like you and for someone like me. Maybe if we knew each other since we were kids. Or maybe if we were still in high school.

               “But I'm an adult now and you're not and just because I like you doesn't mean I can. And just because you like me back doesn't justify that I'd be taking advantage of you, regardless of what I actually intend to do.

               “And taking advantage of you is the last thing I want to do.”

               Jaehyung lets everything settle down in his mind. Areum is looking at him straight in the eye right now, and a few months back, he probably would have thought she was the calmest and the most mature person in the world, able to say such things with such a straight face.

               But he sees the tremble in her lips and the way the umbrella is shaking just a little bit, and it's then that he realizes that angels can be afraid, too.

               “Is that why you avoided me, noona?” he asks. “Is that why you wouldn't speak to me? Is that why you wouldn't answer my calls? Is that why you pretended you didn't know me?”

               A tiny smile appears on her face, and Jaehyung is reminded of a room with the color pink glowing within a black darkness.

               “As much as I didn't want to say yes,” she says, “I didn't want to say no.”

               She says it with a sincerity that Jaehyung is familiar with. She says it with a smile he now knows all too well. When she says it, it's loud and clear and real.

               “... Two years,” Jaehyung eventually says. “That's how far apart we are from each other, right?”

               Areum stares at him, not understanding. He swallows, feeling his nerves travel through tremors across his skin.

               “Then, after two more years, we can finally meet each other?”

               Areum widens her eyes just slightly, finally understanding what Jaehyung meant.

               “Jaehyung, I can't—” she starts. “You can't—two years is—You'd be waiting for so long, Jaehyung.”

               “Noona,” he says, “if it's you, I’d wait forever.”

               Areum stares at him, speechless, and Jaehyung keeps standing.

               “Noona, I like you. In a way I've never liked anyone else before. You've made me so happy in just a small amount of time. And you've made me realize that I can't let myself be satisfied with watching from the sidelines. You've made me want to take the extra step, do more than the bare minimum, if it means standing next to you.

               “Noona, you were the first to ever tell me that I can be more than what I think myself to be, that ‘more’ is really just me. And I—I don't want to watch you slip away. I don't want to let you slip away.

               “I don't care how long it takes, noona. I am not letting you out of my sight. And I am not letting you go. While you still like me back, I will wait for you. While you still like me back, I'll keep liking you. There's no one else I want to fall in love with than you.”

               Areum’s lips were parted as she listened to Jaehyung’s words. And she was looking at Jaehyung with a look in her eyes that was new to him, something a combination of disbelief and confusion and surprise. And now, she's blinking a few more times than necessary.

               “Noona, will you wait for me?” Jaehyung asks.

               He puts a hand out and is reminded of that time on the bus. His first step forward.

               Areum stares at his hand for a moment. Then, she walks forward, the rain still pouring down on her hard. She reaches him, standing in a place outside of his apartment, standing behind a line the rain drew on the concrete ground, dividing her and him.

               “You know that there's a chance that I might no longer like you back after two years, right?” she asks.

               “I know, noona,” he says. “I know.”

               Areum looks at him for a few more seconds, eyes scanning him for anything, analyzing for anything, as if she doesn't believe it or him.

               But then she takes his hand. But then she's smiling at him. Smiling the way she always did.

               “You really are extraordinary, Jaehyung,” she says.

               He feels a grin pull at the corners of his lips, his heart elated, everything around him in some shade of yellow and pink, walking on the clouds.

               An angel standing in front of him, having flown back to tell him he had wings of his own.

               “I’ll wait for you,” she says.

               Jaehyung smiles. “I’ll get there soon.”

               When Areum lets out a beautiful laugh, Jaehyung can see himself leaning down to kiss her. Maybe she'd let go of the umbrella and they'd end up sharing a kiss under the rain. And maybe when he'd pull away, she'd be looking up at him, still beautiful, as she always is.

               But he'll have to wait two years for that. And if he's being honest, he's completely fine.

               If it's her, he'll keeping following. If it's her, he'll wait forever.

               The sun comes back a few minutes later, the rain having gone and away. But his angel is still here, so Jaehyung figures it's not much of a coincidence as he originally thought.

               Coincidence or not, he's glad he met her. Coincidence or not, he's glad she was the one he met. Coincidence or not, she's someone he’ll never forget.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER NOTES  
> • This chapter was the most stressful one from the first arc of this entire fic. I remember writing it in one sitting but everything wasn't worded right, and it took me literally two weeks to get it right. Made a big dent to my seven-chapters-a-month goal, but at least it turned out better than the original ^^  
> • This chapter also serves as a lesson to all writers out there to Write. All. Your. Ideas. Down. As. Soon. As. They. Pop. In. Your. Head. Because i swear to god, when i was still conceptualizing this chapter in my head, all the words were perfect and worded the best way possible. But i wasnt able to write them down so when i woke up the next morning, all of it was gone. Write every idea down, kids. Write every idea down.  
> • Personally, i dont think this is my best chapter, but hopefully ill be able to fix it in the future once im done with the other chapters  
> • Special thanks to @frh for helping me with tackling the age difference issue between jae and cafe noona, and helping me word how she tells jae why she cant be with him  
> • Also shout-out to the saturdays i didnt pay attention to the leader for our sportsfest event for school because i was too busy writing this chapter on my phone :P y’all the tru MVP  
> • Also shout-out to day6’s Beautiful Feeling which I played on repeat while writing this. You are still one of my favorite songs ever
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she has a [yoonjin au thread](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036874047286435840) on twitter (i recommend the genie au one a lot!!) so if you're interested, go check it out! ^^
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	16. Game night at Jieun's house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate Jaehyung's girlfriend, Jieun invites her and the other three to her and Jaehyung's monthly game night.

“I think that looks good, all nice and cozy,” Jieun says, putting her hands on her hips. “Your girlfriend will fall in love with it more than she did with you.”

               “Ugh, for the last time, me and noona are  _not_  dating,” Jaehyung says, adjusting a pillow on the couch. He moves it to the right. Then, a bit too the left. A little more. Fluffs it a bit. And then a bit more. Yeah, that looks better.

               It’s been about a week since Areum and Jaehyung started speaking to each other again, falling back into their usual pace as friends ( _friends_ , Jieun— _friends_ ). In all honesty, Jaehyung’s never been happier to just talk to Areum again, to just see her smile and hear her laugh and ugh,  _ugh_ , Jaehyung both hates (because of the embarrassment) and loves (because of the elation) the feeling of liking Areum. And more importantly, the feeling of being liked  _back_.

               Jaehyung knows he can't really hope much. They did agree to just stay as friends and if the time comes and life wills it, in two years’ time maybe they could be more. As Jaehyung has said so many times over, he'd wait for Areum forever.

               But god, you can't blame him for feeling so giddy and disgustingly soft at the thought that Areum liked him back this entire time. That his feelings were returned. That his feelings were  _actually_  returned.

               It was like discovering an ancient myth to actually be true. Not once in his life did he ever think that his feelings could be requited. Not once in his entire life did he ever think that even if his feelings would, they'd be requited by the most beautiful, amazing, gorgeous, wonderful, spectacular, unbelievable, and perfect human being in the entire world. Jaehyung’s probably dreaming all of this up. Someday someone's gonna pinch him awake and bring him back to reality.

               When that happens, he's going to make sure he gives that someone that biggest freaking punch his noodle hands can muster. (Or at least, ask Jieun to do it for him.)

               “‘Not dating,’ he says,” Jieun mocks in reply, rolling her eyes and walking to the kitchen to get some snacks. “You two literally confessed to each other a week ago. You literally asked to be her boyfriend and she said yes.”

               “Not until two years!” Jaehyung says, feeling a blush spread across his cheeks at “boyfriend”. “Besides, even after two years, she doesn't have to agree to date me. If she likes someone else then, then she can reject me.” He turns the pillow on the couch upside-down. “We just… we just like each other—that's all.”

               “So, what,” Jieun says, returning with a plate of junk food, candy, and cookies that they made Younghyun bake again because they were That Good. “You two just recognize that you like each other but aren't actually dating?”

               “It’s called M.U.,” Dowoon says, and they turn to him. He's sitting cross-legged by the TV with a stack of games standing dangerously tall before him. Younghyun is next to him, setting up the TV with a combination of awe and fear. “Stands for Mutual Understanding. It’s from—Younghyun, where is it from again?” Dowoon turns to him.

               “The Philippines,” Younghyun answers, still setting up as if the TV is a ticking time bomb. “Land of the identity crisis. Asian? Pacific Islander? Hispanic? Americanized? Influenced by the Japanese people? Even they don't know. It was with the Modernist movement and of the work of Nick Joaquin that they realized that the identity of the Filipino is that who is constantly looking for one.”

               Jieun and Jaehyung stare at him. Dowoon turns to them. “We're studying World History these days,” he explains. “Anyway, basically M.U. is just unofficial dating.”

               “Ugh, we already  _have_  an unofficially married couple—we don’t  _need_  unofficial dating,” Jieun says, placing the food on the table.

               “Someone’s unofficially married?” Younghyun asks, looking up.

               “It’s you,” Jaehyung says.

               “It’s you,” Jieun says.

               “It’s us,” Dowoon mumbles bitterly, stacking another game onto the teetering tower.              

               “Anyway, Ji, honestly, it's not that big of a deal,” Jaehyung says to her, flopping down on the couch, satisfied with his work. “She's older; I’m younger—I get it. … Well, more specifically, she's in college and I’m still in high school, and frankly, the predatorial implications of which isn't appealing to anyone.”

               Jieun sighs, exasperated.

               “But you were finally gonna get your happy ending,” she says, eyebrows furrowed. “You were finally going to get the one thing you've been wanting since forever. You were finally getting the love you deserve.”

               Jieun sits down by the low table, absentmindedly playing with the chocolate balls in a bowl.

               “You were supposed to be happy,” she says, almost mumbling to herself.

               Jaehyung watches her for a moment. Then, he nudges her with a foot.

               “I  _am_  happy, you know,” he says, and Jieun glances up at him. “I always have been.”

               For at first he let himself stand at the sidelines and towards the middle he finally took a step forward, right now he’s letting himself stay satisfied by staying put, looking forward as he looks forward to something, anything, hoping.

               Waiting. Just waiting.

               Jieun pauses for a moment, stares at him, like she’s studying him.

               Then she breathes out of laughter, unbelieving. “Since when have you been this cool?” she says. “You've changed so much these months.”

               Jaehyung grins. “Love changes you.”

               “ _EWWWW_ ,” Jieun, Younghyun, and Dowoon all collectively say, in varying degrees of disgust.

               “Oh, my god, he's become  _cheesy_ ,” Jieun says, lying down on the floor and reaching up with a dramatic hand. “The  _pain_. The  _agony_.”

               “Younghyun, I blame you for this,” Dowoon says.

               He shrugs, accepting. “That's fair.”

               Jaehyung just laughs at them, feeling happy, like he said. Genuinely, sincerely happy. No worries. No things he needs to concern himself about.

               Normal days. Normal days are what makes living pretty cool.

_Ping!_

               Jaehyung scrambles to get his phone, which is somewhere on the cou—oh, it was under the cloud-shaped pillow.

Areum-noona   
already on my way there, Jaehyung!! maybe fifteen minutes ^^ 5: 45

               “She'shereNoona’shereeverything’sa messweneedtofixeverythingstat!” Jaehyung all but panics, starting to rearrange (disarrange) the pillows and moving the food on the table around.

               Well, so much for cool, but Jaehyung is willing to make a fool out of himself if it means seeing that beautiful laugh play on her lips over and over and over again.

 

“What a beautiful house you have, Jieun!” Areum says, looking around as she enters. She’s wearing a tiny backpack, her hair in a neat ponytail as it always is. “Did you make it yourself?”

               “As a matter of fact, I did, unnie!” Jieun grins, looking proud of herself. “Glad to know that there’s  _someone_  here who actually acknowledges my work.”

               Dowoon raises his hand.

               “Of course, not counting you, my bebe boi.”

               Dowoon lowers his hand.

               “Oh, you must be Dowoon!” Areum greets. “I’m Go Areum.”

               “N-nice to meet you, Caf… Noona,” Dowoon stammers, bowing a little. He only slightly (very obviously) moves closely to Younghyun and discreetly (rather visibly) grabs his hand out of nervousness.

               “I’m Younghyun, noona,” the boy next to him greets with a slight bow, waving politely and receiving the hand Dowoon nervously gives to him. “Nice to meet you.”

               “A pleasure.” Areum smiles.

               She turns around, looking for someone.

               “Is Jaehyung not around?” she asks. “I hope he’s not sick.”

               “Well…” Jieun starts.

               The three of them glance to the space behind Younghyun and Dowoon, with Areum following suit.  By the window, behind the curtains, is Jaehyung, currently crouched down, hiding from the world. For whatever reason that he is.

               Dowoon watches Jaehyung with his face in his hands, looking like he did that one time his box of brownies fell upside down on the ground, lid open. He crouches down with him, and so does Younghyun.

               “Hey, Jaehyung,” he starts, “you okay?”

               Jaehyung makes a muffled noise with the palms of his hands. Younghyun and Dowoon give each other a knowing glance.

               “Hey, man, didn’t you say you and noona are on friendly terms again?” Younghyun says. “Why are you freaking out like this now?”

               “Ugh, it’s not that,” Jaehyung says, removing his face from his hands. “It’s just—”

               He buries his face in his hands again.

               “I just remembered that she told me she liked me  _back_ ,” he says, and now Dowoon notices the redness spreading across his skin. “And that I told her I like her. That we like each other. And I haven’t seen her face-to-face in days, but now she’s here and—”

               Jaehyung groans into his hands again and Younghyun and Dowoon give each other another knowing glance, this time with amused smiles on their faces. Dowoon knows exactly how Jaehyung’s feeling right now—that feeling of meeting again with someone after you’ve confessed to each other. Dowoon had felt that exact same feeling the first Monday after he kissed Younghyun on the swing. The moment he saw Younghyun waiting by the gate, he immediately hid behind the curtain of his room, burying his face in the fabric and feeling every single part of him burn hot, hot, hot. It’s an embarrassing memory, yes, and the cheesiest of the cheesiest, but Dowoon thinks it’s still a good thing to look back to—and better that he knows Younghyun was feeling the exact same way.

               “Well, you can’t hide behind the curtain forever,” Younghyun tells Jaehyung, laughing a little. “I mean, you could try, but it’s—it’s not gonna happen, dude.”

               Jaehyung finally lets out a loud sigh and removes his hands from his face, face now painted with firey determination.

               “Screw this—I’m a freaking  _warrior_!” Jaehyung yells before standing up from where he stood, Younghyun and Dowoon following suit lest he bump into them.

               He stumbles for a bit, head dizzy because he stood up too quickly, before clumsily pushing the curtains away from his face.

               “Hey, Areum-noona,” he greets, trying to place his elbow on the windowsill in a “cool” manner but ending up almost falling to the floor. “You look swell.”

               Areum laughs a little, amused, as Younghyun and Dowoon slip next to her and Jieun, who has a bowl of popcorn with her (how she got that—we may never know. She wasn’t even cooking popcorn earlier).

               “So do you,” she says with a smile. “Is hiding behind curtains a habit of yours?”

               “Yeah, man—I mean, noona—I just love the ambience,” Jaehyung says, totally not BS-ing any of this.

               “This is so much more interesting than when we spied on Jae in the café that one time,” Jieun says to the other two, who nod.

               “Banging your head on bus windows… buying every lemon at the grocery store…” Areum ticks off her fingers playfully. “And now hiding behind curtains… you really are extraordinary, Jaehyung.”

               Jaehyung bites his grin down, scratching behind his neck as his face burns bright red.

               “Well…” he starts, looking sheepish. “I guess I have to thank you for making me believe in that.”

               The three behind them make gushing sounds/squeal with varying degrees of intensity.

               “This is so sweet,” Jieun coos, slapping Younghyun on the shoulder.

               “Ow, ow,  _ow_! Stop  _hitting_!”

               Areum laughs and turns to them; they still themselves at her gaze.

               “Well, I’m sure we didn’t come here just to talk, hm?” she says. “What is it that we were supposed to do again?”

               Dowoon raises a hand, a natural instinct of his when he hears a question he knows the right answer to. Areum laughs at that.

               “Yes, Dowoon?” she prompts.

               “This day, we were all invited to be a part of Jieun and Jaehyung’s Monthly Game Night, in which friends all hang out to play games of whatever kind and have fun,” Dowoon recites, and Younghyun and Jieun clap for him.

               Areum smiles, beautiful and happy and perfect.

               “Then, why don’t we let this Monthly Game Night start?”

 

The Monthly Game Night is termed in Jaehyung and Jieun’s unofficially published Best Friend Rule Book as “a monthly event held every third Saturday1 of every month at Jieun’s residential home2 starting from 6 o’clock in the evening and continuing until midnight3.” It’s apparently one of Jaehyung and Jieun’s traditions that they've developed since childhood.

               “How many traditions do you guys even have?” Younghyun asks, taking his seat next to Dowoon and draping an arm around his shoulder.

               “About twenty,” Jaehyung says, closing the book and placing it somewhere behind him. Dowoon takes a peek—it seemingly disappeared into thin air. What a conspiracy.

               “And counting,” Jieun says, coming over from the TV. “A fourth edition of the Best Friend Rulebook is on its way.”

               “Did you two write it yourself?” Areum asks, looking interested.

               “Yeah, unnie!” Jieun grins. “It’s one of my best work—no loopholes in any of the rules.” She looks off dreamily. “It’s everything I ever wanted.”

               “Ah, you must be the friend who wants to be a lawyer!” Areum guesses.

               “That’s right—Defense Attorney Kim is on her way to bless this world with her presence.” Jieun then says, “Oh! And if you're wondering, unnie, Younghyun wants to be a musician and Dowoon wants to be a teacher.” She gestures to them.

               “Yeah, noona!” Younghyun sits up at the word “Dowoon”. “Dowoon’s a really good tutor. I usually get  _really_  low scores but this one time I got fifty-four over  _sixty_. And he's always at the top of the class, you know? He even gets perfect scores all the time. The coolest thing about it is that he's actually interes…”

               The speech goes on for a few more minutes.

               “... and I’m just so grateful that I met him and that he's here with me right now,” Younghyun finishes, actually looking teary-eyed.

               Areum looks at him with an amused smile.

               “You two wouldn't happen to be dating, would you?” she asks.

               “Oh, yes, noona, actually,” Younghyun answers, surprised. “How’d you know?”

               Jieun, Jaehyung, and Dowoon all let out loud sighs.

               “Anyway, lawyer, musician, teacher—” Jieun gestures to the respective people— “and Jae here's currently undecided. But that's alright, my baby boy best friend, isn't it?” she adds in a tone as if she's talking to a baby, and squishes Jaehyung’s cheeks.

               “Stop calling me that—when did you even start calling me that?” Jaehyung says, annoyed, and pulls Jieun’s hands down.

               “Ever since you became soft, my baby boy best friend.”

               Their first game is the ever-fun Mario Kart, played on the TV and with hand consoles as everyone sits on their respective seats on the couch (order being Areum, Jaehyung, Jieun, Dowoon, and Younghyun). According to Jieun and Jaehyung, it’s one of their favorite games and one of the first ones they played during childhood. Every time the new version came out, they would always compete for who gets the rightful ownership (they both play it together anyway, so only one person had to buy a copy) and it always came to Jieun.

               “There was this one time when she flung me to the sidewalk just so she could beat me to the video game store,” Jaehyung says.

               “In my defense, you flung  _yourself_  to the sidewalk,” Jieun simply says.

               “I was a weak child.”

               “‘Was’.”

               As the game starts up, tension rises among some players (Jaehyung and Jieun), excitement for Happy Fun Friend Time bubbles up in others (Younghyun), and indifference paired with the desire to sleep is shown in one (Dowoon).

               Areum, in the meanwhile, looks lost.

               “Who are all these people?” she asks in curiosity as she switches between characters in the selection panel. Toadette comes up and she says, “Who are all these beings?”

               “They’re the characters from Mario, noona,” Dowoon helpfully informs her.

               “What’s Mario?”

               Jieun and Younghyun almost snap their necks with how their suddenly turned to her, the former surprised and the latter offended.

               “Unnie, you don't know,  _Mario_?” Jieun asks (shrieks) with Younghyun, who adds “noona”.

               “I’ve never really been much of a gamer, so no,” Areum says, tilting her head slightly with a pout.

               “Well, you don’t have to know the characters to be able to play the game, noona,” Jaehyung says, ignoring the offended looks the two sent his way and Jieun’s muttered “But what’s the point?” “Let’s just choose a character first.”

               “Oooh, how do you choose a character?” Areum asks, interested.

               “You just use the direction controller to see which ones you might like—yeap, yeap, that’s it, noona—and you press that button to select a character you want,” Jaehyung explains. “I’ve already got Yoshi, Jieun’s got Peach, Younghyun’s got Luigi, and Dowoon’s already got Daisy, so you’ve only got these guys to choose from.”

               “Hmm…” Areum hums with furrowed eyebrows, checking the selection. Then, her eyes light up. “Ooh! I like this one.”

               They all lean a bit forward in their seats, squinting their eyes at the screen to check if they’re seeing right.

               “… Bowser?” Dowoon says, unbelieving.

               “Is that his name? What a cute name!”

               “… Cute?” Younghyun repeats, glancing at the others cautiously. “Bowser? Cute?”

               “Any…” Jieun starts. “Any particular reason why you chose Bowser, unnie?”

               “He just looks so friendly and nice,” she answers with a smile on her face. “And misunderstood.”               

               “Okay,” Jaehyung states, face blank. “Okay. Okay, let’s go with that.”

               They start their first race in an icy world, blue penguins scattered about.

               “Okay, noona,” Jaehyung prompts, “so the main thing here is to aim for first place. If you see the other players, just try to get past them. You can bump into them, if you want.”

               Areum frowns. “That’s not very nice.”

               “It’s okay, noona. We’re all very understanding here,” Dowoon says.

               “Just don’t do it to Dowoon and we’re all good,” Younghyun says.

               Everyone nods in agreement.

               “Also, noona, there are some boxes with question marks with them,” Jaehyung adds. “If you see them, try to get them and you’ll be given something that can help you in the race. It’s usually something you can throw at the others, or you can make a shield of—you’ll get the hang of it the more you play.”

               “Okay.” Areum nods. “I think I’ve got it.”

               “Then let the first game of this month’s game night commence!” Jieun exclaims.

               It starts off well, with not much casualties. Younghyun is currently in first place, with Jieun in second, Jaehyung in third, and Dowoon in fourth. Areum is currently last, but she doesn’t seem to mind much.

               “What a beautiful scenery,” she comments peacefully. “Whoever designed this place must be really talented in their craft. Ooh, penguins!” she adds when she sees them. “Aww, and it’s a family.”

               “Noona is so pure,” Dowoon says to Jaehyung.

               “She really is,” Jaehyung agrees, whipped smile on his face.

               In the second lap, Luigi is pushed to second place as Peach throws a blue turtle shell his way.

               “Nooo!” Younghyun all but yells, devastation evident in his voice.

               “Mwahahaha!” Jieun cackles evilly. “Feel my wrath, Younghyun!”

               “It’s okay, Younghyun,” Dowoon consoles him as Daisy nears Luigi. “You’ll win someday.”

               “Some _day_?” Younghyun repeats, incredulous. They move on from a tunnel to an open area by the cliff on an icy mountain. “Can’t we aim for  _today_  first?”

               Dowoon simply smiles to himself.

               “We could,” he starts, “but if you’re not letting me win today, I’m not letting you hug me for a week.”

               Younghyun flings Luigi off the cliff and sends him plummeting down to his doom.

               Finally, it’s the last leg of the race, with Jieun at first place, Jaehyung at second, Dowoon at third, Areum at fourth, and Younghyun at last, silently crying to himself.

               “Frick, Jaehyung’s got a lightning bolt,” Jieun mutters to herself; she doesn’t have any item with her.

               “I’m not gonna stay in second place tonight, Ji,” Jaehyung says, a fire in his voice. “This is the day I both redeem  _and_ avenge myself. This is the day I make my parents proud!”

               “Younghyun, the scenery’s beautiful, isn’t it,” Dowoon says.

               “Mm-hm,” Younghyun agrees, though it sounds more like a whimper. A sniffle follows soon after.

               “Jae,  _don’t you dare_ ,” Jieun grits her teeth. “What about our friendship, Jae? What about everything we’ve worked for up until now?”

               “You knew full well what you signed up for when we even started this thing in the first place, Ji,” Jaehyung says, darkly. “Tonight, friendships don’t matter. Tonight, friendships will  _shatter_. And tonight, I’m gonna shatter _you_.”

               Yoshi closes in on Peach, his menacing green and white tail a dangerous flag to what will become of the fate of the princess. He holds the lightning bolt up, calling up the power of rain and the gust of wind above him, the crackle of thunder more like an evil cackle.

               At last, he flings the lightning bolt at Peach, everything going into slow motion.

               Then, suddenly, a red turtle shell smacks Yoshi out of the road and another flings Peach towards the wall, pushing Jieun into second place and Jaehyung into third.

               “ _WHAT?_ ” both Jieun and Jaehyung scream at the same time.

               “ _What just_ —” Jieun starts.

               “ _Who did—_ ” Jaehyung starts.

               Then.  _He_  comes into view. With his red spikes. And his green shell. And his orange tail.

               It’s…  _Bowser_! What a turn-around, everybody!

               Areum giggles. “So,  _that’s_  what that red turtle shell was for!” she says. “I was wondering why you all kept screaming when someone got one.”

               Bowser passes through the finish line first, then Peach, Yoshi, Daisy, and lastly, Luigi. Which means Areum won, and everyone else lost.

               “That was fun!” she says, grinning. “I think I finally got the hang of this game. I get why you all like playing so much, now.”

               The others slump on their respective seats, looking at each other, mouths agape and speechless.

               It’s silence for a while, until Younghyun breaks it.

               “That…” Younghyun starts. “That was the second-best thing that’s ever happened in my entire life.”

               “Jieun,” Jaehyung starts.

               “Yes, Jaehyung?” Jieun replies.

               They both grin at each other.

               “I think this month’s Game Night is gonna be the best one we’ve had yet.”

               Jieun turns to Areum, grinning. “Unnie, up for another round?”

               Areum grins back. “You’re on.”

 

All the following rounds they play after all conclude in the same way: with Areum absolutely  _crushing_  everyone else and breaking them apart into teeny tiny crumbles of the volcanic ash monstrosity that Dowoon, Jieun, and Jaehyung had once called a batch of cookies.

               It had actually come to the point where Jieun and Jaehyung realized that no one was ever going to win against Areum, no matter how much they willed it, and so they just resolved to fighting over who gets to win second place. It always ended up being Jieun, though—and occasionally, Dowoon.

               Meanwhile, Younghyun, whenever he so much as saw even just a lock of Daisy’s brown hair on screen, immediately sent Luigi flying off the road and into the depths of despair.

               “Younghyun, seriously?” Jaehyung said as Yoshi passed by Luigi spinning around in the middle of the road after purposely slipping on a banana peel.

               “I can’t, okay?” Younghyun said, indignant. “Dowoon’s tutoring me tomorrow and I want to cuddle him during our breaks.”

               “I’m glad I’m dating you,” Dowoon said, giving Younghyun quick peck on the cheek as Luigi let himself get crushed by the third Thwomp in a row.

               “Losing is so worth it,” Younghyun sobbed.

               Areum’s winning streak didn’t just last within Mario Kart, but also extended to other video games as well. When they played Tekken 7, Areum’s Panda absolutely  _murdered_ Jaehyung’s Xiao Yu, Jieun’s Lily, Dowoon’s Alisa, and Younghyun’s Law. (Not literally, though—it’s just a figure of speech. No one actually dies in Tekken.)

               “How does noona even know the different move combos?” Younghyun asked no one in particular as Panda picked Xiao Yu up and proceeded to  _crush her spine_. (Oh, the irony of fate.) “She's never played a single video game before, right?”

               “I think noona’s just been pressing random buttons this entire time,” Dowoon said as Panda ran on all fours and headbutted Xiao Yu right in the gut. Jaehyung could be heard whimpering. “Maybe they just happened to be combo moves.”

               They both turned to look at Areum. She was pressing onto the buttons with a type of precision unbeknownst to the common man alongside a nonchalance that just couldn’t be human, the  _PERFECT_  that appeared on the screen like a  _HAHA YOU SUCK_  to Jaehyung’s face.

               “Or maybe she’s just magic, like Jieun,” Dowoon settled, half-lying down on Younghyun.

               “Yeah, that’s more plausible.”

               Finally, when they played Super Mario Party (with Younghyun sitting out because [a] the game only calls for four players at a time, [b] because he’d much prefer to watch Dowoon play, and [c] he doesn’t want to accidentally have one of those “if you don’t let me win, I’m not gonna let you do this thing that shows your love for me” threats to actually come true)—Bowser, yet again, won every single minigame  _and_ the entire game as a whole.

               Younghyun whistles with an arm draped over Dowoon’s shoulders as the TV screen displays the winners of Super Mario Party, with Bowser cheering at the left side as a spotlight shines down on him, Daisy next to him still looking pretty happy with herself despite not winning the final prize, Rosalina looking only slightly disappointed, and Yoshi looking like he’s lost everything he’s ever worked for in his entire life.

               “Noona, you are _really_ good at video games,” Younghyun says in amazement, draping an arm around Dowoon’s shoulder out of habit. “I swear, I feel like if you join one of those game tournaments you could actually win something.”

               “I guess so,” Areum says, giggling. “I never knew I had it in me. I wasn't allowed to play video games before, so I never knew how fun it would actually be.”

               “Oh?” Jaehyung asks, looking like this is new information to him. “Why?”

               “I guess it wasn't very… ‘ladylike’.” Areum shrugs with a smile. “My parents wanted me to grow up a very classy girl, and they thought playing games wasn't something a very classy girl would do. If they saw me now, they'd probably have a fit.” She laughs at that.

               “But you’re already so classy, noona,” Dowoon says. “Classier than any of us here, at the very least. I don't think playing video games lessens that.”

               “Yeah, unnie, I mean—look at me.” Jieun gestures to herself. “I’m the classiest person in the world and I play video games literally every month.” She ignores Younghyun mouthing “classiest” with air quotation marks.

               “Well, I don't know about that, but I just think that if it’s something that makes you happy, then you should go for it,” Younghyun says. “It doesn't matter what people say about you. If you're smiling and if you're not hurting anyone, then you shouldn't stop yourself just because someone else tells you to.”

               “Jae?” Jieun asks, turning to him and waiting for his opinion on the matter.

               Jaehyung thinks about it for a moment, eyes trained down on the floor. Then, he looks up.

               “I just think that whatever you do, noona, is perfect the way it is,” he says. “And that _you’re_ perfect—the way you are.”

               Areum lets a smile crawl its way up her face.

               “Thank you for saying that,” she says. “All of you.”

               “Aww,” Jieun gushes. “Sentimental group hug, go!”

               “What? No,” Jaehyung says, looking at her weirdly.

               “Well, suit yourself,” Jieun says, shrugging.

               Jieun walks over and hugs Areum, who receives it with an “oh, okay” expression on her face. Jieun turns to Jaehyung with an all-knowing smirk on her face and Jaehyung’s eye twitches. Twice.

               Dowoon has to announce that it’s time for a break before a murder happens on Jieun’s living room floor.

 

Dowoon frowns as he looks down at the pack of chocolate balls in his hand. He doesn't understand this. He doesn't understand anything at all.

            “What are you doing looking all angsty and stuff?” Younghyun asks beside him, pouring down some chips into a bowl.

            “I’m trying to figure out how to open this…” Dowoon almost mumbles, reading the labels on the pack again. “It’s supposed to be like a Ziploc, but there’s no Ziploc thing?”

            The two of them had been assigned to refill the bowls of snacks while Jaehyung and Jieun prepare “Phase Two” of Game Night, which includes more of the traditional games like Scrabble, UNO, and the ever-frightening Monopoly. Oh, Monopoly. Always ruining friendships.

            Younghyun lets out a laugh. “That's because you're supposed to rip the top part first,” he says.

            He throws away the empty pack of chips before reaching a hand out to rip the top part of the pack of chocolates. Dowoon widens his eyes in awe when he sees the Ziploc thingy revealed on the pack.

            “Technology is so cool,” he says and Younghyun lets out a breath of laughter.

            “Cute,” he says. “It’s just common stuff.”

            “Still, though.”

            Dowoon reaches over to unzip the Ziploc thingy before pouring the chocolate balls into the bowl. Except he underestimated the power of gravity, and suddenly a waterfall of balls gush out from the pack.

             “Hey, hey, hey—that’s too much!” Younghyun laughs, trying to catch the excess chocolate balls with his hands. “You’re spilling everywhere.”

            Younghyun continues to fix Dowoon’s mess and for some reason, Dowoon finds himself staring at him, mind lost in the moment for a moment. He stares at the wide grin of laughter on his face and thinks about how there's never a day that Dowoon hasn't seen Younghyun smile. Like it’s embedded into him. Permanent, like a tattoo.

            It’s a bit mind-boggling, really—how often Younghyun smiles and how often Dowoon doesn't. He just can't wrap his head around how Younghyun always seems so happy about everything around him. Even when it’s difficult. Even when it makes him cry. No matter how many tears stain his face, at the end of the day, a smile etches itself across it. Directed at himself. Directed at Dowoon.

            Always smiling, even when there's little reason to.

            “Hey, are you gonna help me or not?” Younghyun notices him staring and laughs again. “Is there something on my face?”

            Dowoon looks back on it, and realizes the few times Dowoon’s smiled, Younghyun was always there.

            “No,” he answers. “Just you.”

            Dowoon leans in to kiss him, grabbing him by the shirt and not caring that he made Younghyun let go of the sweets he was carrying in his hands. He watches meteors and asteroids and comets fly in front of him. He doesn't question how they're all swimming in complete, black darkness; Dowoon already knows where the stars are.

             He feels Younghyun startled by the suddenness of it, but eventually he relaxes, letting another smile finds its way into the kiss, Dowoon letting his own smile appear, too.

            He loves that the reason he smiles is because of Younghyun. He loves that he now loves to smile because of him.

            “Well, aren't you two sweet,” someone giggles.

            The two of them pull away to see Areum leaning on the archway leading to the kitchen, an amused smile playing on her lips. Dowoon feels a sudden redness warm up his face and he’s fairly certain Younghyun is the same.

             “S-sorry, noona,” Dowoon apologizes, looking sheepish.

             “It’s—it’s a habit,” Younghyun says, looking equally so.

             “Oh, you don’t have to apologize,” she says. “It’s nice to finally see a couple actually do sweet things instead of… that.” She says that last word with a pointed look.

             Younghyun tilts his head. “Pardon?”

             “It’s—it’s none of your concern,” Dowoon assures him.

             “Need any help?” Areum asks, walking over.

             “No, it’s okay, noona,” Younghyun says, turning back to pick up the chocolate balls on the counter; Dowoon helps him, finally. “We’re already almost finished. Thank you, though.”

             “What a polite kid,” Areum says with a smile, the sighs wistfully. “I wish I could go back to when I was in high school. Everyone was so much kinder and innocent. (Well, not really, but in college, everything goes haywire.)”

             “Sorry you have to hang out with a bunch of high schoolers, though, noona,” Dowoon says, placing the balls in the bowl. “It must be like babysitting a bunch of babies, or something.”

             “Oh, not at all.” Areum waves a dismissive hand. “You’re all very fun to be with. You’re right with the baby thing, though—you’re all so cute and adorable.” She giggles at that.

             “You’ve been having fun, though, right, noona?” Younghyun asks. “It’s your first time hanging out with us.”

             “Of course, of course. It’s been very fun. I rarely get invited to hang out with other people, so this was a wonderful experience.”

             “Oh, is it because people are scared of your appearance?” Younghyun asks.

             “Is it because people think you’re a boring academic nerd?” Dowoon asks.

             “It’s because people get too star-struck to talk to me,” Areum answers, shrugging.

             “Ah,” they both say. “Makes sense.”

             “So, it’s nice to have a group of people who don’t stop and gawk whenever they see me,” Areum says, smiling. “It makes me feel like I’m actually seen as more than just Go Areum the Pretty One.”

             “That’s deep, noona,” Dowoon says, sympathizing well as Yoon Dowoon the Smart One while Kang Younghyun the Scary One nods in agreement.

             “Is that why you started to like Jaehyung, noona?” Younghyun asks. “Because he sees you as more than that?”

             At that, Areum pauses for a bit, looking like she’s mulling over it.

             “No,” she eventually answers. “It’s because he makes me laugh.”

             Dowoon furrows his eyebrows. “But you already laugh a lot, noona.”

             She smiles at him. “Not quite.”

             “Holy frick, Ji, you still have this?”

             They turn to the archway leading out the kitchen to see Jaehyung holding up a very dusty and battered-looking box. Jieun widens her eyes at it, sitting up from where she sat.

             “Holy duck, is that our Ultimate Questions List for Truth or Dare Written by Jieun the Great and Jaehyung the Amazing?” she exclaims, grabbing the box and wiping the dust off towards Jaehyung’s face.

             “First off: stop sending all the du—achoo—dust to my face; second: how do you still memorize the entire name of this thing? Third: I cannot believe we named ourselves that when we were in elementary; and fourth: yes, this is exactly that,” Jaehyung says in an excited voice, almost jumping in place.

             “Oh my god, we have to play this,” Jieun says, placing the box in the direct center of the low table. “I feel like we’re gonna cringe so hard but screw it—sentimentality and memories for the win.”

             “I kinda feel like a lot of our previous answers would have changed, though,” Jaehyung says, sitting next to Jieun. “I remember you once answering that your dream man was someone with lots of money.”

             “Ha! ‘Man’,” Jieun scoffs out loud. “Well, at least that money thing hasn’t changed.”

             “Didn’t we also answer a question that went something like, ‘What is your dream business?’”

             “I think it was... ‘fighting evil baddies and the conspiratorial dealings of the government—’”

             “—‘with the power of creampuffs and brownies, all before bedtime at eight o’clock in the evening’!” Jaehyung continues with Jieun and they point acknowledging fingers at each other. “OHH!” They dab; Dowoon grimaces.

             Areum lets out a breath of laughter, the corners of her lips upturn in a way that still feels new to her, even after all this time. She watches Jaehyung fall down on the floor, laughing, giggling to himself. She watches him and thinks it’s nice to just watch. To keep standing. To keep smiling. To keep laughing.

             Waiting. Just waiting.

             “—oona? Noona!”

             Areum snaps out of her reverie and turns to see Younghyun and Dowoon trying to get her attention.       

             “Jieun’s calling for us,” Younghyun informs her. “Do you still have something to do? We can wait for you.”

             Areum laughs a little at that, finding the question a bit funny.

             “No,” she answers. “I’ve got everything all sorted out.”

 

“Thank you for walking me home, Jaehyung,” Areum says, standing in front of the door to her apartment. They had ended the Game Night around midnight, with Jieun yelling outside their house, “PARK JAEHYUNG IS THE COOLEST AND KIM JIEUN SUCKS! … OCCASIONALLY AND IN SOME CONDITIONS!” because of Truth or Dare; Jaehyung almost flipping the the Scrabble board because Dowoon had added to his “Rat” to make “Conspiratorial”; Younghyun ending up toppling over the Jenga tower literally every time his turn came up because “tall things make me nervous”; and Areum winning every single time.

               Younghyun and Dowoon had already gone home (holding hands as per the usual like the sappy unofficially married couple that they are) and Jaehyung decided to walk Areum home, too, since they walked the same path, anyway. Also, safety. Duh.

               “It’s no problem, noona,” Jaehyung says, smiling a little. “Just happy to get you home safe.”

               They stand for a while. For Jaehyung, it’s because he doesn’t really want to go yet. For Areum, he isn’t sure what reason.

               “Hey, Jaehyung,” Areum eventually starts.

               “Yeah?”

               “I just want to say I’m sorry. For ignoring you. And pretending you didn’t exist. I probably should have told you from the beginning what the problem was.”

               Jaehyung just keeps smiling at her.

               “It’s okay, noona. We’ve already solved it, haven’t we? I’m just happy we’re back to the way we were.”

               “It was still wrong, though,” Areum says. “Even if you're okay with it now. Even if we solved it. I wish there's something I could do to make up for it. I know you were seriously hurt by that.”

               Jaehyung lets her words settle down for a moment.

               “Then, why don't we hang out another time?” he suggests. “At the aquarium. As friends, of course. We could even bring the others. I think they'd love to see Sally and Eunsoo, too.”

               Areum breathes out a laughter. “And Areum?” she asks.

               “And Areum,” Jaehyung answers, a smile on his face as well.

               “Well, I’m sure we'd have a fun time with all of us,” Areum says, “but I don't see how that alone would make up for everything.”

               “Noona, you told me then that that place was magical,” Jaehyung says. “And to be honest, noona, at first I didn't really see how an aquarium could be.

               “But being there—with you—it really did make me see the magic in there. It really did make me believe. In it, in you, and in me.

               “So, if you let the others see the magic, too, then, noona, that’d be more than enough for me.”

               Areum stares at him and keeps staring. Even as a cat jumps on a roof across the street. Even as the trees rustle with the wind of the night. Even as. Even as.

               “They probably wouldn't need it, Jaehyung,” she says. “I think they've already seen enough magic, being around you.”

               The cat jumps on another rooftop. A discarded flier flies up with the wind. Hours later, the sun is going to wake up and the moon will have to rest.

               “We should probably stop saying things like this,” Jaehyung laughs. “What's the use of waiting for two years if we keep acting like it's already here?”

               Areum laughs, too. “Duly noted. From now on, no metaphors.”

               “No borderline flirting.”

               “No suggestive comments.”

               “No compliments that can be taken the wrong way.”

               “Nothing,” Areum finishes. “Nothing at all.”

               “But we’ll still be hanging out at the aquarium, right?” Jaehyung asks.

               “Of course. Make sure to ask the others what times they're available so we can work things out.”

               “Duly noted, dude—I mean, noona.”

               Areum breathes out a laughter at that before walking and waving a hand to say good bye and good night. Jaehyung returns it with one of his own and a smile on his face.

               She turns away from him and wraps her hand around the door knob. She pauses for a moment. Hesitates.

               Then, she turns back and Jaehyung is still there, eyes surprised to see hers, but he waves a hand, anyway.

               “You know, you’re really different, you know that?” she says. “Different than anyone I’ve ever met.”

               “Extraordinary,” Jaehyung says, with a grin. “Just like you always say.”

               The way Areum smiles tonight makes Jaehyung want to walk up the steps and kiss her goodnight. The way Areum looks at him makes Jaehyung want to cross over that line and be with her, hold her hand.

               But it’s fine like this. It really is. It really genuinely is. Because one day, while he’s not sure if he’ll  _actually_  be able to, it’s enough to know that he  _might_.

               For her, it’s enough. For him, it really is.

               “Good night, Jaehyung.” And she turns to leave.

               “Good night, noona.” And he turns to leave.

               And a few steps further, Areum turns back to see Jaehyung still walking away. One smile later, she opens the door and goes inside her apartment.

               A few more steps, and Jaehyung turns back to see a closed door. Another smile, and Jaehyung is back to walking back home.

 _Tuesday. Let’s keep this up_.

 

1 discounting Saturdays that precede examination days.

2 should Jieun’s residential home be unavailable, deciding of venue shall be done via rock-paper-scissors.

3 ending time may vary.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im filipino dont @ me (also i still have to further edit this because i made some last-minute major changes; will probably be done in a few days)
> 
> FUN FACTS  
> \- this chapter underwent soooo many revisions i stg  
> \- i was gonna do another one of that thing from chapter 3(?) after school hours with the description of pictures except it's scs of fake tweets (mostly jae live-tweeting the second half of the game night) but i got lazy :P Let me know tho if you want to see it!! I'm thinking of writing bonus chapters and putting an "appendix" section at the end when this is all over kasi ^^  
> \- also pls be kind to areum she has her insecurities too and that makes her make stupid decisions sometimes but she is still the closest thing we have to an angel on this earth uwu #cafenoonaforpresident2k19
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she has a [yoonjin au thread](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036874047286435840) on twitter (i recommend the genie au one a lot!!) so if you're interested, go check it out! ^^
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)
> 
> ... also hehehe because im curious even myself, i also want to know if there are any questions you have about the story or any of the characters! you can tell them in the comments or send them on cc, if you have any! i just love answering questions like that you see and i just love interacting with you guys a lot, too!!
> 
> hehe share ko lang sjshsj thank you again for reading! ♡


	17. Wonpil, the class representative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonpil, as the class representative, really thinks those four at the back should stop being so noisy all the time.

A loud noise erupts from the back of the room and Wonpil has to stop himself from yelling out loud lest he have a teacher (misguidedly) scold him _again_. He doesn't even have to look back and glare at them (though he does) to know who on earth it was that caused that ruckus.

               Kim Jieun, Park Jaehyung, and Kang Younghyun. The worst possible combination of people imaginable. They're like the Big Three of People Who Annoy Wonpil On a Daily Basis. Always noisy, always playing around during self-study time, and never taking school as seriously as students _should_.

               The worst part of it is that they now even have Yoon Dowoon under their control. Ever since he started dating Kang Younghyun (for which Wonpil has no idea _why_ he would even do that) he's been under their umbrella of bad influence. Fortunately, they haven't affected him and his class standing much yet but sooner or later he's gonna find himself either in the likes of Park Jaehyung or Kang Younghyun (the latter, most likely) and he’s gonna realize just how much of a bad decision he made by grouping himself with those guys.

               “Ugh, who even let those four become friends?” Wonpil grumbles, stabbing his omelet with as much anger as he can possibly muster. “One of these days, this class is gonna go downhill like Park Dojoon’s Class 4 and _I’m_ going to get blamed for it.”

               Being the class representative, it’s always Wonpil who gets the blame should their class goof off. He has to hold the responsibility of keeping his class in-line and disciplined—lest they embarrass the name of their adviser (that is, Ms. Yoon, their math teacher) and subsequently, their school.

               There have been many instances of many close calls and warnings, one of which is of Lee Hajoon, who brought a puppy to school because “it was so cute and I just couldn't say no. It was following me, sir— _how_ could I say no?” even though it was _clearly_ stated in the school handbook that pets are not allowed on school premises. And Wonpil is pretty sure he gave every single one of his classmates a copy.

               Every single time an incident like that happened, Wonpil would _always_ be the one to be called to the faculty room and be told to take care of his classmates better. Of course, the teachers understood that Wonpil is never 100% at fault, but he still feels that bitterness inside of him that just can't be pushed down. (He blames whatever all-powerful force up there that put him in a class full of People He Just Can't Deal with Ever.)

               So, it’s no surprise to anyone how much Wonpil takes the role of class representative so seriously. It’s an important and frankly honorable position to have and Wonpil has no idea why some of his classmates make fun of him for being so enthusiastic about it. In fact, he gladly would have given up the position to Yoon Dowoon, despite how much he wanted it, because he knows the boy probably would have made a better class representative than him. (He _is_ the top student after all). Unfortunately, however, the boy just didn't seem to be interested.

               Oh—why, you ask? Take a _wild_ guess.

               “Relax, Pillie,” says a voice and Wonpil glances to see Sungjin looking back at the group behind them. “I don't think it’ll come to that. They're not doing anyone harm by being noisy.”

               Sungjin, here, is one of the few people in this class who _isn't_ a pain in the head—though that may have to do with the fact that the two of them had been best friends since literally their birth. Of course, even without the benefits of a childhood friendship, Wonpil still has many reasons to not hate him: he doesn't laugh out loud during classes, doesn’t fool around or goof off, doesn't bring an illegal bottle of soda drink and try to chug it down and in the process make it look like it was Wonpil who left the classroom when it _wasn’t_ , and doesn't do anything that a student shouldn't do. (Well, _most_ things that a student shouldn't do, but we’ll get to that later.)

               Wonpil stares at Sungjin for a bit, watching him watch the others. Eventually, Wonpil lets out a loud sigh and turns back to stabbing his food, rolling his eyes.

               “You only think that because you're biased,” Wonpil says, stabbing a hotdog this time.

               “Biased?” Sungjin repeats, finally looking at him.

               Wonpil rolls his eyes again. “Kim Jieun, Sungjin,” he says, pointedly. “Have you finally moved on or did the confession give you amnesia?”

               At that, Sungjin blushes a bright pink.

               “O-oh,” he stutters, scratching behind his neck and looking away. “W-well, I can't deny that.”

               Wonpil lets out a loud sigh, making a salad out of his lunch.

               “You shouldn't even be thinking about that sort of stuff,” he says. “We're students and we should be studying, not pining over people who will never like us back no matter how much we’ve been wanting them to for like eighteen years.”

               Sungjin furrows his eyebrows. “I’ve only liked Jieun for three years.”

               Wonpil stabs another hotdog.

               “Congratulations,” he says, dryly.

               He continues making a puree out of his lunch for a good minute. If it were not for the laws of this land, he would have taken this pile of inedible mess and dumped it on each of those three heads. Maybe then, they'd actually _listen_ to him for once in their entire li—

               He feels someone ruffle his hair, familiarly.

               “Don't sweat over it too much,” Sungjin says, retracting his hand. “Like you said, we should be focusing on our studies, right? So, let's just do that instead of stressing over our classmates—yeah?”

               Wonpil stares at him for a moment, lips a strict, thin line. Then, he lets out a loud sigh, letting the wrinkles on his forehead smoothen out.

               “Fine,” he says, finally taking a mouthful of his food (it’s actually not that bad). “I still have to review for the quiz later, anywa—”

               “ _OH MY GOD!_ ”

               A series of hollers and yells suddenly fill up the room and Wonpil (along with literally everyone else in the room) turns to see The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse make loud “ _ohh_ ”s and gawk at Kang Younghyun’s desk, which has a teetering tower of lunchboxes and water bottles situated at the center of it. At the very top is an orange rolling dangerously close to the edge.

               "Holy frick, Dowoon!" Kim Jieun is currently shaking the boy in excitement. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

               "It's—just—basic—physics—" Yoon Dowoon says in between shakes.

               "Oh, no, wait—" Kang Younghyun is staring at the top of the tower. "I think the orange is gonna fal—"

               One of the lunchboxes trips over itself and the entire tower falls apart, falling down on the floor—and right on top of Park Jaehyung’s head. He falls down to the ground.

               "Holy frick," Kim Jieun exclaims, though she sounds more in awe than concerned for her friend’s wellbeing. “Holy frick, Jae, are you okay?”

               Park Jaehyung raises a raised thumb from the floor, though weakly.

               “Hey, do you think if we stack the lunchboxes vertically and if I change my trajectory to increase the slope, I can land the orange right at the center again?” Yoon Dowoon asks, as if his friend didn't just almost die.

               “I have no idea what you just said, but I’ll support you in everything,” Kang Younghyun says.

               “An Orange’s Odyssey—part _two_!” Kim Jieun all but yells, slanting her arms diagonally in a dabbing gesture; Park Jaehyung does the same from the floor; Yoon Dowoon grimaces.

               Wonpil turns back to his desk, feeling fire burning his entire body, fuming.

               “It’s okay, Pillie; it’s okay,” Sungjin says. “It’s okay.”

               Wonpil grabs a mouthful of his food, almost spilling, and finishes the rest of his lunch, bitterly.

 

The sky is a gradient of reds and oranges slowly bleeding into blues and blacks as the bus stop waiting shed comes into view, Wonpil and Sungjin already walking there as they usually do.

               It had always been a thing of theirs to sit down at this particular waiting shed when the day is over, waiting for a bus to come take them home. Every single path they take is a path they've always ventured on together—which sounds more poetic than it is, but Wonpil really just means that they always take the same path when going and leaving school. They live across each other; they always have been, so even if Wonpil didn't want to, he'd still have to see the guy regardless. They're practically inseparable, though Wonpil isn't sure if that's because of necessity or something else.

               Wonpil flops down on the bench, almost breaking it half.

               “Still angry about them?” Sungjin asks, sitting down next to him.

               “I’m not angry; I’m just disappointed.” Wonpil looks up to the sky as if it had forsaken him.

               “Do you really need to be so worked up about it?” Sungjin asks, and if it was anyone else, Wonpil would have taken offense, but this is Sungjin and Wonpil knows every question he asks is always genuine. “You've been so much more stressed than usual these past—well, _months_ , actually. You're always so agitated; I don't think I've ever even seen you relax anymore.”

               Wonpil leans against the pole of the shed, not looking at Sungjin.

               “I’m just… stressed about many things,” he eventually answers. “And I kind of have to be, you know. I’m the class representative and being class representative means I've got more on my plate than the others.”

               Sungjin hums in response, looking like he empathizes.

               “Wish you could relax more, though,” he says and Wonpil turns to see him looking. “And rest. Rest is important.”

               Wonpil supposes it's this side of Sungjin that he will never understand. How can Wonpil ever rest when there are so many things to do? How can he ever be relaxed when there are so many things he's stressed about? How can he be okay with all of this when nothing is?

               “I can't rest or relax, Sungjin,” Wonpil answers. “I can't afford to. And I don't want to. And frankly, I don't think I can, even if I tried.”

               Sungjin lets out a sigh and Wonpil’s hair is ruffled once more.

               “You grew up too quickly. You’re talking like my old man,” he says. “Who on earth hurt you?”

               Sungjin retracts his hand with a laugh and Wonpil doesn't bother with fixing his messed-up hair, mind holding onto that last question.

               He's about to give his answer when suddenly there's a loud laughter.

               “—en I told him, ‘Well, we can’t _all_ be acupuncturists,’ and he blanked me!” Kim Jieun is complaining. Park Jaehyung is in a fit of giggling next to her.

               “He is so outdated on everything,” Park Jaehyung laughs. “It’s kind of mind-boggling, actually.”

               “Remember when we texted the group chat with ‘lol’ or something like that and he asked, ‘Oh, you play League, too?’” Kim Jieun asks.

               “How does he know League but not ‘lol’?”

               “What if he's actually a man from historic times and he time-travelled?”

               “And he has a duty to come back but because he's fallen in love with a boy in the present he’s conflicted?”

               Kim Jieun snaps a finger, eyes wide in realization.

               “We've finally cracked him,” she says, sounding as if she made the discovery of the century.

               They pass by the waiting shed, not noticing neither Wonpil nor Sungjin, still talking amongst themselves about some historic man, or whatever.

               “Why can't they ever just be _normal_?” Wonpil asks, almost whiny. “I swear to god, Sungjin, I have no idea why Class 1 is even filled with _any_ of its students (not counting me, you, and Yoon Dowoon, of course). It’s supposed to be the one with the highest ranking students from last year, and yet everyone seems like they’re _some_ brand of craz—”

               He cuts himself short when he sees how Sungjin is staring after Park Jaehyung and Kim Jieun, seemingly in a daze, distracted. Wonpil doesn't have to look to know which one of the two he's staring at.

               He kicks Sungjin in the shin.

               “Ow!” Sungjin yelps, looking at him, surprised.

               “If I’m always stressed then you're always distracted,” Wonpil says. “Can't you at the very least keep your eyes on me only for like a minute?”

               Sungjin scratches his neck, looking sheepish.

               “Sorry,” he apologizes. “I… I guess I’m still not over it. Well, her.”

               Wonpil sees how Sungjin keeps glances behind him, going back-and-forth between him and her. Distracted. Mind somewhere else.

               “You shouldn't be thinking about that sort of stuff,” Wonpil says, turning away. “You're a student. You should be studying. There shouldn't be anything in your life you're supposed to be trying to get over. You shouldn't be so stressed over something like this.”

               Wonpil doesn't receive a response but it’s okay; he didn't expect one, anyway.

               He lets out a loud sigh, looking up at the sky above him. Just another day for Kim Wonpil, the class representative.

               But he's already used to it, so he supposes this is fine.

               The bus finally comes two minutes later, and it’s only when Wonpil takes the first step on the bus that Sungjin finally sits up from the bench and follows him.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my sister says sungjin is a bad friend
> 
> also AYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY we be finally having the sungpil sideeeeeeeeeeeee (for the people waiting for jieun's love story, dw, we're already in her arc ^^)
> 
> hihi thank you for reading this peeps nyehehehehehehehehe
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she has a [yoonjin au thread](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036874047286435840) on twitter (i recommend the genie au one a lot!!) so if you're interested, go check it out! ^^
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	18. Park Jaehyung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Park Jaehyung.

In a particular apartment room in the city of Seoul, a natural light passes through the pristine, was-only-cleaned-the-month-prior windows and shines a beacon on a lump on the bed covered by a comforter. This particular lump stirs in his deep sleep, a satisfied smile on his face, perhaps dreaming of the wonders of the world and all that is a part of it.

               Jaehyung’s apartment is one of the cheaper ones in the city, fit for student part-time-ers like him. It’s pretty plain, pretty ordinary, and if it were not for Jieun and her lack of an impulse control, it would have been barren, too. It was really because of her that the walls of his room were even lined with posters of his favorite band, an embellishment of “the government is a conspiracy”, and more posters of a cat saying inspirational things for whatever reasons it deems fit.

               While his apartment is small, at least it contains enough space for a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and a balcony, although each of those are ideal for only one occupant. Hey, at least he has a TV and a PS4, right? Additional to that, the color palette of the apartment is very brown, gray, and white—not many bolds or pastels. Just plain and ordinary. Average and acceptable.

               Yeah. Most things in his life are like that.

               As a certain time in the morning arrives, Jaehyung’s phone sounds in a series of beeps and the he wakes up, eyebrows furrowed as his wonderful dreams fades into the view of the apartment room. The lump sits up and stretches his arms to the ceiling, scratching his head. He turns to his still-ringing phone and turns the alarm off, the picture of his favorite Twice member appearing as the wallpaper on-screen. It is a beautiful day today, forever and always, and I’m sure that our favorite lump is about to get off his bed and start his day with a _burst_ of energ—

               Oh, he—he just— he just went back to sleep. Or maybe he’s gonna get up aga—nope, nope, he’s covering himself in the blankets. Aaand he’s snoring. Yeap. Okay. Okay, so I guess it's another sleep-in-through-the-morning day.

               (Freaking lazy-butt kid.)

               This is usually how a normal Saturday in the life of Park Jaehyung goes, with him turning off his 7 o’clock AM alarm (who even knows why he has that set when he’s just going to turn it off anyways) and waking probably five or six hours later because even his natural body clock is tired of his lazy habits. If it were up to him, he'd sleep his way through his entire mess of a life that had once caused him existential dread when he accidentally thought about his own mortality one time during freshman year _but_ let’s not think about that right now.

               The concept of Park Jaehyung isn’t really that complicated to wrap one’s head around. He is a boy of simple values with the philosophy of “keeping to the basics” and then some. Everything he does, if he really is obligated to do it, is always the bare minimum, for to him why do more when it’s socially tolerated to do less? He is the epitome of acceptable laziness. His essence _is_ essence. And above all, Park Jaehyung is the type of person who lives by the motto, “Go big or go home,” and he chooses to go home.

               In all honesty, Park Jaehyung _is_ smart, very much so, and _can_ actually become Yoon Dowoon’s rival if he actually tried (and if Yoon Dowoon actually cared for that rival culture).

               But the problem with him is that anything that requires even just a one-percent increase in the amount of effort he normally uses is a thing that he'd rather not have to deal with. In his own words from six years ago, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

               But of course, despite the simplicity and borderline boring lifestyle of Park Jaehyung in general, today is a day worth narrating (which is why it's being made into a chapter in the first place) and so after three minutes of half-snoozing in his bed, Park Jaehyung shoots up and realizes with great horror that today is not, in fact, a Saturday but a _Friday_. Which means he has school.

               He yeets himself out of the covers and nyooms right into the washroom, washing up quickly and with haste, before flying right out after five minutes and tripping over himself in the process of putting some slacks on.

               Eventually, he _is_ able to put on his uniform, albeit very messily and very wrinkled because he didn't have time to iron his clothes. (Yes, he irons his clothes. He only started recently because, uh, he needed to keep up, uh, appearances for, uh, someone. Ahem.)

               Anyway, he rushes in the kitchen, grabs the entire box of brownies that Jieun brought before during the Dark Ages, and bursts out of the door.

               (He also returns five minutes later to lock the door before running back towards the train station.)

               “Dude, what the heck,” Kim Jieun says, putting down her phone when Jaehyung runs up to her, holding onto the box of brownies like it’s his lifeline.

               The two best of the bestest best friends always meet at the train station at around 6 o’clock, where usually Jaehyung would already be waiting for Jieun to come by the morning train. She lives in the farther part of the city, in a place with more farms than towering buildings, so this is her most common way of arrival.

               The early hours of the morning usually pave way for the both of them to go through any mischief or Happy Fun Friend Time that they previously planned. On this particular day, they had planned to prank Lee Jooheon, a member of the basketball team, because (1) he had been the one to previously eat Jieun’s creampuffs without permission, (2) Jieun likes to hold onto her grudges, and (3) Jaehyung just wants to have fun with life.

               But of course, since our dear Park Jaehyung forgot that they had school today, it seems that they won't be able to push through with the prank and that Lee Jooheon has one more day to live.

               “Forgot… we had… school… today,” Jaehyung wheezes in reply, trying to catch his breath.

               “Yeah, no shiz, Sherlock.” Jieun rolls her eyes. “What am I supposed to do with all these feathers?” She puts up a paper handbag full of white faux feathers. “Or all this glue?” She reaches in and pulls out a giant bottle of glue that’s bigger than her head. “Or this water that we were supposed to help wash the previous two of Jooheon because we aren't actually that cruel to let him stay in that state forever?” Jieun brings out one of the four tumblers full of water.

               Jaehyung hums, mulling over it.

               “Eagle costume for School Festival Day,” he answers, snapping his fingers.

               “For Jooheon?”

               “For Jooheon.”

               “Nice.” Jieun high-fives Jaehyung; he crumbles under the power and pain. “Come on, my baby boy best friend. Let’s get to school.”

               School is another thing that Park Jaehyung doesn't care much about. For him, school is just an obligatory thing he has to go through if he wants to increase his chances of getting a high-paying job, but he doesn't really care much about that aspect of life, either. He doesn't even know what he wants to do yet, what kinds of career he's willing to take, which college he wants to go to—literally for their career assessment last year he had written, “Life is the greatest choice,” to which his previous adviser had told him, “Mr. Park, I swear to god.”

               To him, school is just another one of those things that life throws at you and that you either catch, miss, struggle to keep in your hands, or drop to the ground. Right now, he's just tossing it playfully in the air.

               “You guys going up to the rooftop again?” Jaehyung asks as Dowoon and Younghyun stand up from their seats, lunchboxes in their hands. The morning of today had proceeded as usual; even though to Jaehyung and Jieun they were late, they still arrived at the classroom earlier than almost everyone else. The only ones who were there earlier than the both of them were Bae Sungjae and Kim Wonpil, the former looking surprised to see them and the latter looking disappointed.

               At the question he asked Younghyun and Dowoon, Jaehyung senses someone suddenly jerk their head towards their direction, and Jaehyung immediately adds,

               “You better come back quickly after you've checked that no one’s there. The teacher needs that report ASAP.”

               Jaehyung senses that person turn away from their direction, maybe a little disappointed. God, Kim Wonpil has the sharpest ears in the entire universe.

               Younghyun blinks at him, looking confused. “What repo—”

               “ _Yes_ , we’ll be handing it in, quickly, yes, yes,” Dowoon quickly says to Jaehyung, already pushing Younghyun out the door. “See you later.”

               Younghyun looks at his boyfriend weirdly. “I don't remember any—”

               “Come _on_ , Younghyun, the teacher needs that report—let’s go, go, go!” And they leave the classroom, rather hurriedly and confused, though that last one's more on Younghyun’s part.

               “Do you ever wonder what those two do in the rooftop?” Jieun asks, beside him, mouth full of the donkkaseu she bought from the canteen because, frankly, if anyone made her cook anything it would be the end of the world. “ _Besides_ , eating?” she adds when she sees the look on Jaehyung’s face.

               “They probably talk about the class,” Jaehyung says, already finished with the four pre-cooked packs of ramyeon he put in a metal container and labeled as “lunch”. “Dowoon probably reviews Younghyun on the topics out of habit and Younghyun probably talks to him about the songs he’s made with the band. My bet is that Younghyun once tried to feed Dowoon but Dowoon probably made him spill on himself.”

               “ _Or_ Dowoon accepted it,” Jieun says. “He is very unpredictable when it comes to this stuff. He switches from tsundere to deredere very easily.”

               “Younghyun is a _constant_ deredere, though,” Jaehyung says, looking like he wants to heave in a deep, deep breath. “Who even knew he was like that? Before I met the both of them, I always thought he was a big jerk. But he turned out to be this big… _ball_ of a… tooth-rotting fluff fox-looking guy with hearts for… days.”

               “Jae, you are not poetic at all.”

               “I know. I know. But it still makes sense, though, right?”

               “Yeah. Yeah, it kinda does.” Jieun crosses her arms and leans against the back of her chair, which she moved to lean against the wall. A pause. “But they’ve definitely kissed on the rooftop at least _twice_ , though, right?” She turns to him.

               “ _Oh_ , yeah,” Jaehyung says, like it wasn’t obvious, contorting his face. “If they haven’t, are they even together?”

               “Like, with caging and stuff? Dowoon has to be on top.”

               “He has to be on top, definitely.”

               Jaehyung reaches out a palm. Jieun high-fives it. He crumples in pain.

               As Jieun continues to scarf down her donkkaseu, Jaehyung lets himself think about Dowoon and Younghyun for a minute. _Not like that, you weirdo_ —but _really_ think about them. And their relationship. And how perfect it is.

               Jaehyung isn’t even sure how something like the both of them could even exist. The kind of love they have for each other seems like it was born out fantasy—of something _ideal_ , something that only _could have_ or _should have_ been. Not something that actually _is_. Watching them smile at each other like that, to hold hands like it’s second nature, to never get into a fight that _actually_ breaks them apart. (Jaehyung swears if those two actually break up, the whole world is going to collapse in on itself and become the actual paragon of “End me.”)

               Jaehyung just can’t believe that something like the both of them _can actually exist_. Like, not just in books, or movies, or in dreams. Like, it’s actually possible for a pure, true love to happen.

               Though he guesses that maybe the question isn’t, “Can true love exist?” but rather, “How rare is true love, really?”

               How rare is true love, really?

               _Ping!_

               Jaehyung almost jumps out of his skin when his phone sounds, and almost drops it to the floor trying to unlock his phone in the haste. When he does, he can’t stop the light that brightens up his eyes when he reads the text message that was sent to him.

Areum-noona  
good afternoon, Jaehyung! just eating lunch at Beauteaful today. perks of working here: free food! ^^  12: 19

               “You’re smiling,” Jieun points out.

               “Am I?” Jaehyung asks, smiling.

               “ _Ugh_ ,” Jieun groans out loud. “I refuse to go through this all over again. Where is my phone?”

               Jaehyung ignores her and texts Areum a reply text.

Jaehyung  
hey noona. just eating rn too. i am def not eating four ramyeon packs bec i kno thats unhealthy and my parents will have my head HAHAHAHAHA  12: 20

Areum-noona

>:(  12: 20

 

Jaehyung  
sorry. ill eat smth healthy next time. gotta keep the muscles strong for this growing boy amiryt  12: 22

               Jaehyung smacks his phone against his face.

 

Areum-noona  
you should eat better, Jaehyung. your health is important and one of the things you’ve been blessed with  12: 23

 

Jaehyung  
yis yis noona. promise. ill even buy cabbage. and carrots. and potatoes. and maybe fry them idk. anyway its gonna be delishhh. maybe if i make it well enough it could be a permanent item on your menu for your restaurant. idk HAHAHAHAHA  12: 23

 

Areum-noona  
actually, I think that’s a cute idea. I have to warn you, though: I take my restaurant seriously and if you want your dish to be on my menu, you’re gonna have to go through some very serious judging.  12: 24

 

Jaehyung  
0-0 noted, cap’n. but noona if youre gonna make your own café it has to be better than beauteaful. have you thought of a name for it yet?  12: 25

 

Areum-noona  
not yet. do you have any in mind?  12: 25

 

Jaehyung  
how about……………………… beauteafullllllll… er…?  12: 26  
noona im sorry pls come back dont name your café beauteafuller it dumb  12: 31

 

Areum-noona  
ㅋㅋㅋㅋdon’t worry; I’ll be putting it under the potential names ^^  12: 31

              

                Jaehyung isn’t sure if this is true love, but he definitely wishes it could become true love. At least, in two years’ time.

               The way back home is as simple as it gets. Jaehyung and Jieun didn’t join any clubs (for Jaehyung, it was because he [a] missed Club Day and [b] he actually didn’t care if he missed Club Day, and for Jieun it was because she said she was working full-time at her family’s farm and didn’t want extracurricular activities to get in the way of that, but really we all know it’s because she was planning to overrule the principal by the end of the school year. Suffice to say, she’s actually doing a good job on that) and because of that they leave the school a bit earlier than most students.

               Usually, the two of them head on over to the district area and either attempt to kidnap Shishi-ssi or annoy the heck out of Mr. Boo, and when that inevitably fails, Jaehyung walks Jieun to the train station to get her home before five every day, because if he doesn’t, Grandmother is gonna skin him alive. And when that finishes, Jaehyung walks home. Alone. As he does every day.

               This sounds really depressing but, in all honesty, it’s not. The fact that he has to walk an extra mile back home from the station gives him more time to listen to music on the way; sometimes he takes the long way just to listen longer.

               This particular long way, though, has him thinking more about that love thing from before.

               Jaehyung doesn’t really know what he’s talking about. He’s an eighteen-year-old kid who’s growing and improving and still _only_ on his way to adulthood and to being mature. Love and things like that—he doesn’t really let himself dwell into those. I mean, before Areum, his entire definition of love was peeking at someone behind his notebook, hiding behind said notebook when he thinks that person saw him looking, hiding behind Jieun’s back when she convinces him to actually talk to that person, watch Jieun take that person away from him anyway because she has this weird instinct to flirt with every single girl she meets, and then let himself get over that person because it was just a sideline crush anyway.

               But after he met Areum, love meant walking up to the cashier and stutteringly order something he never meant to because all he wanted was to see her smile at him. Love meant sitting down on a table and trying to hide the stupidest smile on his own face because he just couldn’t push the giddiness down. Love meant flying in the air as he sat on the swing and letting himself laugh like an idiot because love makes you stupid but makes you happier than anything else ever could.

               After he met Areum, love meant wanting to keep seeing her, wanting to keep talking to her, wanting to see her every day with no hiding behind notebooks, no hiding behind Jieun, no hesitating. Love meant seeing every single day in front of him filled with moments where he was with her and she was with him and wanting every single possible future to have her in it. Love meant looking forward to tomorrow. Love meant looking forward to a tomorrow with her. Love meant her.

               She changed his definition of love. She changed what he thought love was. Not what it could be. Nor what it should be. But what it actually was. Or rather, that true love is something that _he_ , of all people, could actually experience. That he _could_ and _can_ experience it, not just as a bystander, or an observer. That love meant her, but it also meant hi—

               Oh, look, he’s already home.

               Jaehyung flops on his bed the moment he reaches his room, not even bothering to change out of his uniform. (He _does_ remove his shoes, though, so he’s not a _complete_ disappointment.) He lets out a sigh and stares up at his barren, boring ceiling. Still boring as always. Still barren. As always. As always.

                Then again, “always” isn’t always permanent, is it?

               Park Jaehyung is a simple boy, with simple ideals and simple goals. He does work at the bare minimum and when asked, “Go big or go home?” he goes home. He is the perfect example of what average is like.

               But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, really. To Jaehyung, everything around him is simple.

               And that includes love, too.

               So ends the day in the life of Park Jaehyung.

 

_“What is it, Jaehyung? Why’d you call?”_

_“I was just wondering where you could buy those glow-in-the-dark stars. I mean, they’re pretty childish and I’m already eighteen so I’m probably too old to even think about buying those things and you’re probably the last person I should be telling this, too—actually, you know what? Let’s just pretend this never happened—”_

_“You can buy glow-in-the-dark stars at the department store at the mall. It’s almost the holidays, so they’ll probably have a sale for it soon. We can buy it together, if you want.”_

_“… Yeah. I think I’d like that. Thanks, noona.”_

_“You’re welcome, Jaehyung.”_

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> but-- but-- can u imagine jae and noona just-- just-- just buying glow in the dark stars together?? *loud sobbing noises* i just love their friendship T T
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she has a [yoonjin au thread](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036874047286435840) on twitter (i recommend the genie au one a lot!!) so if you're interested, go check it out! ^^
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	19. A bet of regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Younghyun lost a bet against Jieun and now, as punishment, he's not allowed to touch Dowoon for a week.

"Ugh, I hate this so much."

               Younghyun almost drags himself along the sidewalk, already hating the day as if it committed a heinous crime against him. Like stealing his only album of Twice. Or eating the last piece of meat that was rightfully his. Or forcing him to—

               "Well, it's technically your fault, you know," Dowoon says beside him, hands holding onto the straps of his bag. "You know that Jieun hasn't lost a single thing since the day she was born. The fact that you even agreed to this in the first place was already a big set-up for you to lose."

               "Ugh, I know, I know—it's just—" Younghyun groans. "I just wanna hold your hand so bad but I can’t, and it sucks and—ughhh."

               It started one week ago with a bet that would change Younghyun's life forever. He had bet that Jeonghan from Class 2 would confess to Jisoo from Class 3 before Monday, while Jieun had bet that _Jisoo_ would by Saturday. Younghyun was sure that he was going to win the bet because (Lee) Jaehyung had told him that Jeonghan was planning on telling Jisoo that he liked him on Sunday and we all knew how much Jisoo liked making others do things for him rather than be the one doing.

               Except Younghyun had underestimated the love Jisoo had for Jeonghan and on Monday, the two were caught by the teacher making out in the cooking club room after Jisoo sent Jeonghan a bouquet of roses at his house on Friday, and long story short: as punishment for losing, Younghyun is not allowed to touch Dowoon for a week.

               "Why did you even agree to this bet in the first place?" Dowoon asks. "Every time I tell you something like, 'If you don't do this, I won't let you kiss me for a week,' you make sure that it never becomes true."

               "It's because I didn't know that was the thing at stake," Younghyun groans. "Jieun wouldn't let me know what would happen if I lost. And I was so sure I was gonna win so I thought it didn’t matter, but it did and I didn't and now I'm condemned to an eternity of torture."

               "It's only seven days, Younghyun."

               "Seven days feel like an eternity when I can't love you."

               Dowoon's ears turn red at that and he glances away, scratching at his jaw.

               "You can still say it, though," he mumbles. "Say you l-l-love me, I mean."

               Younghyun laughs then grins at him. "But don't I already tell you that every day?" he teases.

               "Doesn't mean I hate it," he mumbles. "Doesn't make it any else true."

               Younghyun smiles. "I love you."

               Dowoon glances up at him, and Younghyun can see the way he tries to push down that beautiful smile of his. It makes him wanna bring it up more.

               "I l-l-like you, too," Dowoon says, voice down to almost a whisper.

               Younghyun is already leaning in—

               "Nope! Nope, can't do that," Younghyun quickly catches himself, pulling back and hating everything. "If Jieun finds out I breached our contract, I am dead meat."

               "You two have a contract?" Dowoon asks with a raised eyebrow.

               "Yeah, she made me sign two sets of papers—anyway, let's get to school! Man, I love school!"

               Younghyun sees himself grabbing Dowoon's hand as the both of them run up to school, sees himself looking back and laughing alongside him and reliving the night the both of them met for the first time— _really_ met, for the first time.

               But holding hands is also a breach of contract, so it looks like Younghyun is gonna have to save that for seven days later.

               And to Younghyun, that means he's gonna have to wait for another lifetime.

 

"Here's your notebook, Younghyun," Dowoon says, handing him the said notebook. (It’s the blue one that everyone is required to have. The only differing one—an orange notebook with a picture of Blackpink’s Jisoo on the cover—belongs to Jackson, an exchange student who acts as if he’s been here since day one when really, it’s only been seventeen.)

               "Thanks, Dowoon," Younghyun says, about to grab the notebook—

               "Aaah, wait!" he all but exclaims, immediately retracting his hand and surprising his boyfriend. "Did I accidentally brush your hand? Did I breach the contract and put myself under eternal damnation?"

               "Uh... no," Dowoon answers, looking at him weirdly. "The only thing you touched was literally just the notebook."

               "Oh, thank god," Younghyun sighs in relief, taking the notebook. He flips the pages until he reaches their latest quiz. "Fourty over fifty?” he exclaims, surprised beyond imagination. “That’s like a one hundred percent increase from my usual scores!”

               "Two hundred percent, sweetie," Dowoon corrects.

               "Oh. Right."

               Dowoon moves past him to give the others their notebooks.

               “Wait, did you just call me ‘sweetie’?”

 

"Does it taste good?" Younghyun grins at Dowoon as they both sit cross-legged at the rooftop of the school.

               Dowoon can only nod, mouth full of bread, cream, powdered sugar, bananas, and Younghyun's love for him—all the ingredients to make him happy. He worked on it late in the night last night.

               Younghyun laughs, feeling a giddy feeling take over his heart.

               "I swear to god, you are so cute and adorable," he says to Dowoon, keeping his grin on his face.

               Dowoon glares at him.

               "You're only making yourself cuter by doing that."

               Dowoon rolls his eyes.

               Younghyun notices some powdered sugar dusted on the corner of Dowoon's lips and he instinctively reaches out to wipe it with a thu–

               "Aaah, I can't do that, either!" Younghyun all but yells yet again, retracting his hand so quickly that he actually smacks it against his head.

               Dowoon looks at him with deadpan eyes.

               Younghyun reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a handkerchief.

               "Here." He hands it to Dowoon. "Not as romantic, but definitely more hygienic."

               Dowoon takes it and starts wiping his face, albeit a bit slowly for some reason; Younghyun lies down on the rooftop floor and sighs to himself. Oh, cool. Birds.

 

“Is this Shishi-ssi?” Younghyun asks, crouching down in front of Saengsun-nim.

               A very, very, _very_ fat cat with fur completely white sits peacefully in front of Younghyun and Dowoon, looking at peace with the world and beyond. Younghyun wishes he had her wisdom.

               “I think so, yeah,” Dowoon answers. “She looks exactly like the photos Jieun sent us. Except maybe fatter.”

               “Hey, Shishi-ssi,” Dowoon says to the cat. “I’m Dowoon, Jieun and Jaehyung’s friend. But don’t worry; I’m not gonna try to kidnap you or anything.”

               The people watching over from the front of the shop sigh in relief.

               Shishi-ssi stares at Dowoon for a second, before walking up to him, slowly.

               Then, she boops his knee and Dowoon’s world lights up its second-brightest.

               “OhmygoddidyouseethatdidyouseethatYounghyundidyouseethatsheboopedmykneeohmygoddidyou—”

               Dowoon turns just in time as Younghyun snaps a photo of him on his phone; he puts it down, grin on his face.

               “Yeah, I did,” he says, smiling.

               Younghyun stands up and instinctively holds out a hand for Dowoon to grab, not even looking at him as he checks the time on his phone.

               “We should head home,” he says. “Mom and Dad aren’t home, so we’re gonna have to cook dinner ourselves. Maybe we should try to make bulgogi again.”

               When Younghyun gets no response, he looks down to see Dowoon staring up at him, rather pointedly. Then, he looks at his outstretched hand and he immediately yelps,

               “Aaah, sorry!” He retracts his hand as Dowoon stands up. “Have I always been doing that?”

               “Yeah, you have,” Dowoon says moving past him. “It’s almost like second nature to you.”

               “God, I really have to stop doing that,” Younghyun mutters to himself.

               At some point he notices Dowoon already meters away from him, and he runs after, wondering since when he had started walking so fast.

 

The both of them are laughing together on Younghyun’s bed, looking at some of the photos Younghyun had taken on his phone during their previous game night with the others.

               “Why does Jaehyung keep making that face in every photo?” Dowoon giggles, scooting just a bit closer to Younghyun. “He looks like he’s picking a fight with the scrabble board.”

               “Can you blame him?” Younghyun laughs. “You added to his ‘MAT’ to make ‘MATHEMATICAL’!”

               “He had it coming, really.”

               Dowoon leans in closer when Younghyun switches to a new photo, one of Dowoon smiling to himself as he held a set of UNO cards.

               “You took that?” he asks. “I didn’t even notice you put your phone up.”

               “Yeah, well…” Younghyun says with a smile. “I like to keep a bit of you with me all the time. Since there _are_ actual times in the day when we _aren’t_ together, contrary to popular opinion.”

               “We _do_ hang out all the time, don’t we?” Dowoon says.

               Younghyun breathes out a laughter and turns to him.

               “As if I’d want it any other way,” he says, smiling at him.

               Dowoon breathes out a laughter, too. “How are you still so in love with me? You’d think you’d get tired after all this time.”

               “You surprise me a lot,” Younghyun says. “There’s a new you every day. And I fall in love with you more and more. All the time.”

               They stare at each other, just look at each other’s eyes like most sappy couples do. Faces close, but they could be closer.

               Dowoon is already leaning in—

               “ _Nope_!” Younghyun immediately sits back up before Dowoon can even think about putting his lips on him. “Breach of contract, breach of contract—remember that, Younghyun.”

               He gets off his bed and says, “You want banana milk? I’ll buy you, like, twenty bottles, if you want,” rather quickly. Before Dowoon knows it, Younghyun is already out of his apartment.

               Leaving Dowoon to sigh to himself and stare up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on Younghyun’s ceiling. Looks like he’ll have to settle with them for now.

 

Dowoon slumps on his desk as the second period for the afternoon ends, arms crossed in a totally-not-bothered-at-all way. They still have a few more minutes to the short break before Mr. Kwon comes over for third period. Younghyun had been assigned to carry the notebooks to the faculty room that time, so now it’s just him and his chair. Alone. Condemned to eternal damnatio—

               “Hey, there, bebe boi,” Jieun says, taking over Younghyun’s seat as if it were her own. “Couldn’t help but notice that you look a bit sullen.”

               Dowoon sighs. “I’m not sullen,” he says. “It’s just that bet you and Younghyun made. He hasn’t even held my hand or even booped my nose for like two days and I don’t…”

               He slumps even further into his seat.

               “I’m not used to it,” he mumbles.

               “Well, I kinda get that,” Jieun says, nodding in understanding. “When someone loves you as much as Younghyun and that love is lessened even by just a fraction, it feels like you lost an entire world.”

               It’s true. Dowoon’s just been so used to Younghyun hugging him every day and telling him he loves him that it’s just so easy for him to stomp away in embarrassment or to roll his eyes when he should’ve been hugging him back or telling him he lo—likes him back. And maybe the reason why he’s able to do all those things so easily is because he’s just so sure that Younghyun will _keep_ loving him back like this, that he’s never going to stop loving him like this.

               But now that he's bound to this stupid bet and this stupid contract, Dowoon's actually having a taste of what it would be like for Younghyun to not love him as much as he usually would, or at least a taste of how it'd be like if Younghyun was too busy to. He misses the times when their fingers would brush ever so slightly as if Younghyun did it on purpose, misses the way he'd cup Dowoon's cheeks and smile at him like he was the world. Misses the way he'd unconsciously hold out his hand for Dowoon to hold and not realize when Dowoon'd received it, misses the way he'd receive Dowoon's kisses as if there wasn't anything else that he wanted.

               And it's only now that Dowoon realizes that whenever Dowoon leans in to kiss Younghyun, he always flinches in surprise. Because he never expects it. Because he isn't used to it, even though Dowoon himself already is.

               Dowoon almost laughs. To think— the reason why Dowoon finally realized how much he's taken Younghyun for granted, how little he's given him, is because of a stupid bet. And how Jieun specifically kept it a secret from Younghyun that the punishment was for him to not touch Dowoon for a week. As if she knew exactly what to do to get Dowoon to this exact same point.

               ... Wait a minute—

               “Jieun,” Dowoon says, turning to her in realization, “did you make that bet because you knew that I’ve been kind of taking Younghyun for gra–”

               “No, I just did it to mess with him,” Jieun says, flatly. “And the best way was to take away his most precious thing in the world and not even give him a reason to blame anyone else but himself because bets are technically a form of gambling, and we all know gambling is bad.”

               A pause.

               “… Jieun, you are _really_ devious,” Dowoon eventually says.

               “It’s how the world works, bebe boi.” Jieun pats Dowoon on the back. “Besides, Younghyun really had it coming when he suggested to make a bet with me. I mean—we all know I never lose anything. He was basically just setting himself up for failure."

               "That's what I sai—wait." Dowoon furrows his eyebrows. "Younghyun was the one who suggested the bet?"

               "Yeap." Jieun shrugs. "I didn't tell him that he wasn't allowed to touch you if he lost because then I know he's not gonna agree to it. Making him suffer is about the best thing that could ever happen to me—which is why that's what I decided on should I win."

               Dowoon lets that settle in for a moment.

               "What would have happened if he won?" he asks. "Not that that's ever a possibility, but what was his prize?"

               "Oh, I was gonna give him 70, 000 won," Jieun says as if it's nothing. "It's nothing, really; I've been saving up since I was a kid so something that big isn't really that big at all."

               "Why on earth does he need 70,000 won?" Dowoon asks with furrowed eyebrows.

               Jieun shrugs again. "He wanted to buy you a watch," she says simply. "Said your old one got broken and he needed the money, so he made a bet with me. Simple as that."

               Dowoon's chair could've flung across the wall with the way he ran out the classroom with all the strength his legs could offer.

 

Younghyun sighs to himself, walking back to class and stretching his arms upward. God, those notebooks are no joke. Good thing he exercises daily or else his muscles would've given out long ag—

               The sudden noise of a rapid set of footsteps suddenly snaps him out of his mind and he jerks his head up to see Dowoon running towards him, faster than the speed of light.

               "Dowoon?" he calls out, blinking a little to check if he was seeing correctly. "What the—"

               Suddenly, Dowoon grabs his hand and yanks him away from where he's standing, forcing him to run alongside him, almost making him trip.

               "W-wait, D-Dowoon?" Younghyun calls out, feeling very, very confused. And super, super tired of running. "I-I'm not supposed to hold your hand like this—"

               They run up the stairs and Dowoon pushes the door open, leading them out to a place where air dances and the sky can call home.

               "Wh-why are we on the rooftop?" Younghyun asks as soon as he steps on the concrete floor. "Dowoon, as much as I love hanging out with you here, we have cla—"

               His words get cut short when Dowoon pushes him against the door and kisses him there, hands cupping his cheeks.

               Younghyun is surprised for a moment, a little bit taken aback, but eventually his hands find their way to Dowoon's back and eventually his eyes close, sighing in relief.

               Dowoon pulls away and Younghyun opens his eyes, sees the same garden in front of him, so familiar to him, but every single day he discovers a flower he never saw before. He reaches out and caresses a newly blossomed bud, already in love with how beautiful it is.

               "I can't believe you turned to gambling just to buy me a watch," Dowoon says, placing a hand over the one cupping his cheek.

               Younghyun laughs at that. So, the cat's out of the bag, huh.

               "Yeah, my dad did say that making bets isn't ever a good thing," he admits.

               Dowoon flicks him on the head.

               "Ow!" Younghyun yelps, covering his forehead with his free hand. "What was that for?"

               "You weren't the only one who had a hard time not being able to kiss their boyfriend," Dowoon says.

               Younghyun feels a wide grin slowly creep up his face.

               "Did you just call me your boyfriend?" he asks. "Without stuttering? Or looking away because you're embarrassed?"

               "Well... that's what you are, right?" Dowoon says, trying to look confident but the warmth spreading onto Younghyun's palm and the redness in his ears says otherwise. "My boyfriend. _My_ boyfriend. Only mine. No one else's."

               Younghyun wraps his arms around Dowoon tighter and the boy leans further into his space, reaching up again to cup his cheeks once more.

               "What if someone tries to steal me away from you?" Younghyun teases. "What will you do?"

               "You love me too much to let anyone do that," Dowoon says with a smile that's new and that Younghyun loves very, very much.

               "Yeah, I do, don't I." Younghyun smiles once more.

               Younghyun guesses they should probably get back to class, get back before Mr. Kwon gets even more convinced that Younghyun's a bad influence on Dowoon, but he's much too in love with the feeling of Dowoon's lips on his to really give a care.

 

Jieun watches with a smile on her face as Mr. Kwon mutters to himself about how bad of an influence Younghyun is to Dowoon, writing up how to properly cite one's sources with the APA format on board.

               Well, not like she expected anything less from those two. It's actually kind of a miracle that they even  _lasted_ two days; she had expected for them to break the contract two hours in. 

               But it's fine. She already made a bet with Jeonghan that they were gonna break before the seventh day, so the little details don't matter much.

               Hey, she may be devious, but she's never once lost in a bet so who's regretting now?

               So, Jieun just smiles herself, leaning forward in her seat and resting her chin on her knuckle, completely satisfied.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oOF this was a hard chapter!! i remember re-writing the beginning and middle TONS of times. and just now (it's jan 18, 2019 rn) i edited the Revelation scene while in school HNGGGGGGGG i love this au maybe a bit too much
> 
> credit to [@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway) on twitter for beta reading this chapter (the entire work, really)! she also has an ao3 [@frh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frh) where she writes for BTS Yoonjin and Haikyuu!! Tsukkiyama. ALSO she has a [yoonjin au thread](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway/status/1036874047286435840) on twitter (i recommend the genie au one a lot!!) so if you're interested, go check it out! ^^
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	20. Joonyoung and Hyunjoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Younghyun's parents fell in love with each other.

Hyunjoon giggles to herself as she stands in the middle of their tiny kitchen, leaning on the divider wall that separates her from the improvised living room. From where she stands, she can peek a little at what her son and his boyfriend are doing in his room.

               “Alright, Younghyun, so what are the three types of natural processes?” Dowoon asks him, sitting cross-legged on Younghyun’s bed with a notebook lying open on his lap.

               Younghyun is sitting across him, leaning against his headboard. He contorts his face after Dowoon asks the question, as if trying to pull out the answer straight from his own brain.

               “Uh… geological, which is about the stuff that happens on Earth… hydro-meteorological, which is about the stuff that happens in the air (and _not_ about those float-y rocks in space, very confusing) … and… uh…”

               Younghyun suddenly snaps his fingers, eyes lighting up.

               “And coastal!” he says. “Because of the coast on the beach, that shoreline thing. That’s why it’s called _coastal_. Because _of_ the coast on the beach.”

               “And _not…_?” Dowoon gestures for him to continue.

               “And not because of a roller coaster,” Younghyun finishes, looking proud of himself.

               “Good.” Dowoon nods, satisfied. “I am so glad we cleared that up at the beginning of this session.”

               “Younghyun-ah’s gonna get mad at you if he sees you spying on their tutoring session again,” Joonyoung says from the foldable table, a short distance away from the kitchen.

               “They’re just so adorable,” Hyunjoon says, giggling a little more. But she does leave the kitchen and walks over to her husband, who’s quite focused on his bullet journal.

               As she sits down next to him, she reads an entry that says, _Dowoonnie’s back again to tutor Younghyun-ah on something about meteors. Another reason to be grateful that I am no longer a high school student_. “Seeing the two of them be together like that just makes me so happy. It’s so nice to see Younghyun-ah actually use his friendly personality for once. Yongbok-ie from next-door is a good playmate, but I think it would be very sad should an eighteen-year-old boy’s best friend be a literal baby.”

               “Yongbok-ie is eight years old, dear.”

               “You know how the kids are these days! A difference in one year is practically a lifetime distance!”

               Joonyoung covers his journal as he writes down, _Hyunjoon-ah is starting to feel the effects of old age. It’s a good thing that I already knew my fate from the age of twelve_. “Calling Yongbok-ie a baby is a falsehood, dear.”

               Hyunjoon groans in annoyance, rolling her eyes. “It’s a creative form of exaggeration.”

               Joonyoung glances up to look at his wife, who has her cheeks pushed up by a knuckle and who is muttering curses on the Kang Joonyoung name. He breathes out a tiny laughter. She still hasn’t changed one single bit after all these years. He supposes that’s the one thing that age can’t change about her: her stubbornness to keep being her immature, childish self, even when experience finally grew her up. Most people would probably find it a flaw and Joonyoung could see why they would think that, but he sees it more as something that makes her her. A quirk, something unique about her. How lucky is he to have something that no one else could ever have.

               And even more so, someone who wouldn’t ever let anyone else have her if it wasn’t him.

               “They remind me of us, you know,” Hyunjoon says, and Joonyoung blinks himself out of his thoughts. God, this woman has such power over him. “Dowoonnie and Younghyun-ah,” she elaborates, now done with glaring and settling for looking after the doorway; Joonyoung can hear laughter. “From back when we were in college.”

               “You used to wear those berets even in class,” Joonyoung recalls, chuckling. “It was the trend back in the day. You would always try to keep up with what was popular.”

               “I guess those times are over, huh?” Hyunjoon says with a smile, laughing a little. “If I tried to keep up with the trends now, I’d look ridiculous. I don’t even know how they do those gradient lip things. It wouldn’t suit an old woman like me.”

               Joonyoung looks at her for a while. At the way she’s looking down at the table with a melancholic smile on her face. At the mole on her ear that she passed down on to her son. At her mid-length, straight, black hair that she used to dye light brown and curl at the edges to form waves. At the wrinkles on her face already starting to form mostly centered around her eyes because she was the person who smiled the most in his entire life.

               He puts a hand over her worn fingers and intertwines them with his, the palm of his hand resting on the back of hers. Something he’s done a million times over and would do for another million again.

               “You’d look beautiful in anything, dear,” he says, smiling at her behind his reading glasses, ones he’d only gotten five years after their marriage, eight years after their only son had been born.

               Hyunjoon breathes out a laughter. “You’re in love with me,” she says. “Unless the entire world is, I hardly think your opinion matters much.”

               “That’s true,” Joonyoung says. “I suppose that means my opinion won’t ever matter much.”

               Hyunjoon squints at him, tilting her head a bit, suspicious. “And why is that?” she drawls out, cautious.

               “Because I’m never letting anyone—not even the entire world—be in love with you,” he says. “Only I can be.”

               A smile stretches up Hyunjoon’s face and a blush spreads across her cheeks. She looks down, a little embarrassed, a little shy, but still smiling. Smiling like she had been, back then. She’s never changed.

               “Always so cheesy with your words,” she says, still looking down, still with that smile on her face. “You know, it’s your fault that Younghyun-ah’s cheesy, too. Dowoonnie’s probably sick of it.”

               “But he’s still with him, isn’t he?” Joonyoung smiles. “And you’re still with me, too.”

               Hyunjoon finally looks up at her husband, the love of her life, who loved her and cared for her and more. Whose hair is already graying and becoming thinner. Whose back is getting weaker with every job he takes on. Whose eyes are still yet to have wrinkles lining them, because she was the only person he ever smiled at.

               Hyunjoon laughs.

               “Yeah,” she says. “I could never be an idiot when it comes to you.”

 

“God, I’m such an idiot!”

               Hyunjoon stomped her way on the campus road, possibly breaking every rock and pebble with just the sheer force of life-lasting embarrassment alone. This was it. This was her defining moment. The moment in which she was gonna look back in the future and regret ever doing because it ruined her entire life. And all it took was nine words. _Nine_ words.

               “Kang Joonyoung, you are my boyfriend staring from today!” she had yelled after bursting in Professor Uhm’s morning class that day.

               She had immediately smacked both palms against her mouth when she realized what she had said. Everyone’s eyes were on her, a tiny little five-foot freshman who was only standing there in front of the teacher’s podium because her friend Jihye told her friend Jiyoung who told her friend Sunghoon who told his friend Donghyun who told his friend Eunjung who told _Hyunjoon_ that Kang Joonyoung was having a class in the building two more away from where she was standing, so really, it was _their_ fault she was in this situation.

               (A more rational part of her would admit that it was really her lack of self-control and her impulsive nature that got her into that embarrassing situation, but that part of her she preferred to hide way, way, waaay deep behind her brain, so she wasn’t going to admit, no. Nuh-uh.)

               In her defense, she was only going to ask Kang Joonyoung out. Or maybe declare the six-month crush she had developed with a simple, “I like you! Let’s ditch this class hopefully without affecting your grades and go on a date, or something!”  She didn’t know that the moment she would walk in that classroom unattended and uninvited, as her eyes found and locked onto that of Kang Joonyoung’s, completely ignoring the yells of the professor, that she would feel her heart skip a beat, her entire world coming to a stop, eyes widening just as his had been. Wide. Surprised. As if he knew her before she knew him. Like she was her soulmate. As if—

               “Kang Joonyoung, you are my boyfriend starting from today!”

               And fifteen minutes later, Hyunjoon was now stomping her way on the campus roads, ready for a hole to suck her in and make her forget any of that ever happened.

               “Ugh, I hate my _life_ ,” she groaned, voice muffled. She had removed her beret and pressed it against her face, trying to hide away from the world. (Though, in hindsight, that probably made the world notice her more.)

               This was the absolute worst day of her life. After mustering up the courage to finally (finally) _finally_ go out there and _talk_ to Kang Joonyoung for the _first time in her entire life_ , she absolutely _blew_ it and destroyed any chance of him ever noticing her into a big explosion of dead chunks of rock that hopefully hit Professor Uhm’s sad, little face. (No one liked Professor Uhm. He was a weirdo. With a sad, little face.)

               She remembered what it was like—seeing him for the first time. She was at the library, then, with her friends. They were supposed to be reviewing all the lessons they had for the week because it was almost time for preliminaries and, even though Hyunjoon was _not_ , in fact, taking up the Music course she wanted, the Songs were not losers and this particular Song was _not_ going down the road of Medicine with a failing grade. Song Hyunjoon, signing _out_.

               Of course, even though Hyunjoon herself _wanted_ to study to uphold her expectations, she actually sucked at studying, and after literally a minute since she and her friends started, she was already tired and sick of it.

               “ _Why_ are there even so many _cells_ in the body?” Hyunjoon complained, face planted on the table. “It’s only _one_ body—why do you have to have so _many_?”

               “Because cells are literally so much tinier than any huma—how did you even get into this college, Hyunjoon?” asked Eunjung, looking perplexed. “It’s a miracle you even passed suneung with that brain of yours.”

               “Or lack, thereof,” Jihye giggled.

               “ _Because,_ my dear _friends_ ,” Hyunjoon grumbled pointedly, “this brain of mine has the ability to memorize ten month’s worth of painstaking lessons in just one day. The downside to it is that I forget literally everything after the exam, but it’s still a gift I hope to pass down to my children someday.”

               “Well, they’re definitely gonna need it,” Jihye giggled again. “Since we all know that if they _do_ end up smart, it’s gonna be from the dad and not from the mom.”

               Hyunjoon rolled her eyes as Jihye and Eunjung giggled amongst themselves. Leave it up to them to make herself feel bad about literally everything in her life. The only reason why she was even friends with them is because each of their parents had connections: Jihye’s mother was a senator and Eunjung’s uncle was a wealthy businessman; Eunjung’s parents never even had to work a day in their lives, lucky jerks. And Hyunjoon came from a line of well-known doctors who made so much money and put up so many hospitals and blah, blah, blah. Hyunjoon was sick of it. Sick. Of. _It_.

               Hyunjoon swore: if she had the freedom, even just a little bit of it, she would have ditched her “friends” and hung out with—oh, I don’t know, uh… that guy there in the corner, with the book that had a loaf bread on the cover—I don’t know—it didn’t matt—

               Wait, woah, that guy was actually pretty cute.

               Hyunjoon had found herself staring at that stranger, who wore such simple clothing he could’ve passed off as a teacher. He was wearing a yellow jacket with a dark green collar over a white shirt and loose-fitting jeans. His hair wasn’t styled and his backpack looked as if it was passed down from generation to generation. He was reading a book called “Baking Basics 101: Bread” as if it was an ancient scroll that held the answers to the universe. He was the definition of a hopeless case in Hyunjoon’s world, of people she would never be allowed to talk to, or if she would, needed to be in secret.

               But at that moment, for some reason, the way he read that book was so mesmerizing that she couldn’t help but want to move away that piece of hair blocking his view so he could see better. When he flipped a page, she wanted to lean over and ask what exactly it was about bread that made him so intrigued, when it was literally just bread. And when his eyes lit up after reading something, as if someone had whispered to him the best news he ever could have received from anyone, Hyunjoon had felt a tug at her heart. A tiny little feeling that had her lungs breathing in a little more oxygen than necessary. A tightening right at the center of her chest that made her cheeks burn at just the thought of the one word that popped in her mind.

 _Love_.

               She wasn’t quite there yet, she knew, but she also knew that this was just the beginning. The starting point. The stepping stone.

               … that she would eventually trip over after yelling that Kang Joonyoung was her boyfriend and oh, dear, god— _can this day just end, already_?

               It only took Hyunjoon five minutes to turn to praying to her ancestors.

               “Grandmother, I’m sorry for not helping you with the kimchi when I was twelve. I didn’t actually have any schoolwork to do; I just wanted to play with Park Soojin’s Cutie Moon Rod because it lit up and it was really cool and also because Mom and Dad never let me have one because they said it would interfere with school,” she sobbed, still stomping and still with her beret on her face. She settled with making prayer hands while keeping the hat steady. “Just please rewind time so this would never happen. I don’t care if Kang Joonyoung never sees me again or if I’m gonna end up as a lonely, sad widow (because, let’s face it, with my looks someone’s bound to propose to me)—just please let a miracle happen. I didn’t even _know_ you would die because of a heart attack, Grandmother; give me a break, here!”

               Hyunjoon kept sobbing to herself and praying for a miracle to happen as she stomped her way across campus, earning the judging looks of passersby and a couple concerned ones from actual genuinely good people.

 _This is gonna be the biggest regret of my entire life_ , she thinks to herself. _I’m sure of it_.

              

Joonyoung walked towards his dormitory hall a bit distracted, holding onto his copy of Baking Basics 101: Pastries as he usually did, except this time instead of treating it as if it was an ancient scroll that held the answers to the universe, he was treating it like an afterthought, something else taking up the space in his mind.

               “Kang Joonyoung!” Song Hyunjoon had yelled. “You are my boyfriend starting from today!”

               He couldn’t believe his ears, or his eyes, or his—anything, really, when she did that this morning. The girl had just burst through the door while Professor Uhm was telling his students the wonderful way of developing the right business skills for the culinary arts, looked around the room as if she was searching for someone, completely ignoring Professor Uhm’s shouts, and suddenly locked eyes with him—as if it was him she was searching for all along.

               If he were being honest, to even have that thought alone was completely ridiculous. All his life (well, to be more exact, all his four years of high school) he had been crushing on her, just absolutely smitten with how she laughed and smiled so easily, as if it was nothing to her. Like happiness just followed her wherever it went. She was always smiling doing anything she did: raising her hand confidently when she thought she knew the answer; trying to convince her teachers and fellow students that she was, in fact, in a way correct because of some unbacked evidence that she just made up; and even when she was sent to the faculty room—she always reappeared behind the windows of the hallway, making silly faces at her classmates with a grin on her face, and the sound of her laughter would echo away no matter how angry the teacher was that day.

               Song Hyunjoon was the person whom Joonyoung’s heart knew had to follow. Even though their conversations were mostly, “Good morning, Jinyoung! Or something—sorry, I don’t actually know your name. I appreciate you, though—keep up the good work!” followed by a lack of response on Joonyoung’s part. Even though he wasn’t able to ask her which university she was planning to attend and if she would allow Joonyoung to follow her there. Even though Joonyoung was convinced that he was never going to see her ever again.

               Even despite all this, Joonyoung’s heart kept beating for her, wondering what would have happened if things had been a little different, wondering if there would be anyone else his heart would be beating for. If there was, he hoped that it would be at a time very, very far from the future—because right now, there was no one else he wanted his heart to beat for.

               So, you can probably imagine his surprise when he saw her sitting at the school cafeteria.

               He had stayed frozen, standing in place—almost dropped his Baking Basics 101: Cakes, too. The school cafeteria was filled with about hundreds of students, maybe even thousands, but Joonyoung’s mind was an absolute cacophony of one billion screaming toddlers who were just denied the right to eat any form of sweet candy for _one whole day_ because they had broken down a very expensive vase due to their lack of concern over the wealth their parents had painstakingly worked for many. Many. _Years_.

               Joonyoung’s face was blank but his mind was chaos. Pure chaos.

               He didn’t know what to do. Song Hyunjoon was standing there, right _there_ , wearing loose light blue jeans, a red short-sleeved turtleneck shirt, and a brown beret. A beret. The teachers back at their high school never would’ve let her wear a beret no matter how many times she tried to convince them that atoms were bigger than cells. And she was laughing. Laughing at something her friend said. Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear that he knew would just come back to block her view again. Her hair was too straight for it to do otherwise.

               He didn’t know what to do, yes, but his body was moving before he could think. He was set on something. Something that he’d always been longing for. Something his heart had been sworn to follow since the day he saw that beautiful smile.

               Her. He was set on her.

               “Excuse me,” he started, when he reached her table.

               Hyunjoon had turned away from her friends to look up at him, and for a split second, Joonyoung had caught her in a moment when she wasn’t smiling. A moment of innocent, instinctive curiosity. Eyes looking up at him with a question. A millisecond of him and her just staring at each other. Looking at each other.

               “Hi, we used to be classmates,” he continued. “I’m Kang Jo—”

               “AAAH!”

               Song Hyunjoon had suddenly shot up from her seat, screaming for dear life and making Joonyoung press his Baking Basics 101: Cakes against his chest in fear, trying to protect his precious baby.

               Without another word, Song Hyunjoon had zoomed past him and ran out of the cafeteria, the students at her table following her with their heads and a couple snickers in the mix. From the windows lining the walls of the cafeteria hall, Joonyoung could spot Hyunjoon running past—almost tripping, too, maybe once or twice—before completely leaving his field of vision.

               Joonyoung had been left staring after her, breath leaving him before he could process that he’d been holding it. Song Hyunjoon had just been there, in front of him, and he was just about to talk to her for the first time.

               But then she was gone.

               “Hey, old man,” one of the people sitting at Hyunjoon’s table said.

               “Wha—huh?” he ended up saying, turning to the owner of the voice. It was a guy.

               “I hear there’s a discount at the counter for senior citizens,” he jeered. “With the way you’re dressed, I bet they’d even give you a meal for free.”

               The entire table erupted into a fit of laughter. Joonyoung just turned away and left the cafeteria—he was supposed to be at class, anyway.

               But the way Hyunjoon suddenly screamed at him and ran way never left his mind. As if she knew something he didn’t. Or as if she was suddenly scared of him, or something.

               Whatever the reason, he was determined to talk to her. To tell her how he felt. To meet her again.

               And he did. Several times. Numerous times, really. And they all ended the same way.

               Joonyoung saw her sitting on a bench on campus—

               “Hi, it’s me, Kang Joonyou—”

               “AAAH, I SUDDENLY HAVE A STOMACHACHE!”

               And she ran away.

               Joonyoung saw her sitting in one of her classes while he was walking in the hallway—

               He waved a bit. “Hi, it’s me, Kang Jo—”

               “AAAH, I HAVE TO GO TO THE NURSE’S OFFICE FOR MY STOMACHACHE!” (Her voice was loud enough to be heard behind tightly-closed windows.)

               And she opened the window on the other side and jumped through it to run away.

               Joonyoung saw her with some friends at the library—

               “H—”

               “Aaah, I need to call my parents and tell them I have a stomachache!” she whispered, grabbing all her stuff and running out the library door. To run away. Her friends looked just as confused as he was.

               After about two months of this, Joonyoung was convinced that _maybe_ Hyunjoon didn’t want to talk to him. Or that she _really_ needed to go have a check-up with a doctor because that stomachache just _wasn’t_ going away.

               Because of this continued unfortunate series of events, Joonyoung had temporarily stopped trying to talk to Hyunjoon. Obviously, he would have to continue someday, because his heart was still set out on her and, okay, maybe some of the things she did to get away from him (or to take care of her health) kind of made him _almost_ -laugh despite the zero progress he’s made—but he figured that he shouldn’t be wasting his time chasing after someone who was an _extremely_ fast runner for some reason. (Maybe those rumors of Hyunjoon taking up Olympic running classes in the summer were true.)

               He figured that maybe he would try other ways to talk to her. Maybe talk to her friends first. Or ask a teacher if he could join a class that she was taking up and then start from there. Or maybe wear a disguise and pretend that he wasn’t Kang Joonyoung—I don’t know—that’s what Hyunjoon would’ve done, definitely, 100%.

               What he _didn’t_ count on, however, was Song Hyunjoon _herself_ bursting through the door of their classroom, locking eyes with him as if her heart had been set on him, too, and yelling out that from that day on, Kang Joonyoung was her _boyfriend_. Song Hyunjoon—signing _out_.

               Needless to say, the toddlers had come back.

               Even after the class had awkwardly continued and ended, Joonyoung’s mind was still on what had just happened fifteen minutes ago as he walked out of the room, halfheartedly greeting back his classmates. His feet was moving and his arms were still hugging his precious Baking Basics 101: Pastries as his body told him, “Come on, Joonyoung. You need to get to your dorm. If not, you aren’t going to be able to make up for those eight hours of sleep you lost because your neighbor was being incredibly noisy despite the many warnings that Professor Uhm (the kind one, who teaches Creative Writing) gave him. Stop thinking about Song Hyunjoon for one second. Please. I’m dying here.”

               But he couldn’t help it. Why did Hyunjoon suddenly say that to him? After avoiding him for two months because of an incessant and frankly concerning stomachache? More importantly, how did she even know his name when she kept interrupting him whenever he tried to talk? Was this some sort of prank? Was he on Yu Jaesok’s Sleepless You?

               He stopped just at the entrance to his dormitory, a few guys just coming out and passing by him, the air filled with their laughter.

               For some reason, he was just too tired to wrap his head around this. For some reason, all he wanted was to finally listen to his body and go. For some reason, he just wanted to walk away like nothing ever happened.

               For the first time, his heart wavered.

               Then—

               “—y did I even do that? God, that was so stupid! I promise you, Grandmother, if you _do_ let me out of this situation, I swear I am going to give up being a musician all together and become the pediatrician that you always wanted me to be! That’s right; you’re finally gonna collect the whole set, you person who wasn’t as much as a jerk as you could’ve been!”

               … Huh. And he thought his body wanted to rest.

 

Hyunjoon kept walking forward without missing a beat even once. More than that, she hadn’t even opened her eyes the minute she started praying to her Grandmother. That old lady must had been much holier than she previously thought.

               She had finally poured out her entire soul, life, and list of minor sins that she had knowingly committed against her family members, so she figured that after this, she was finally going to live that peaceful life she had always wanted, though one (unfortunately) without Kang Joonyoung in it—

               “Hey, watch out!”

                              Hyunjoon only had time to open her eyes before someone wrapped their arms around her and pulled her away, her beret falling away from her grasp and dropping to the ground.

               She could feel her heart thump right next to her ears, as if it swooped right up and was now residing in her brain, the adrenaline rushing through her veins like some kind of superpower. The first thing that registered in her mind was the view of a tree in front of her, specifically one crawling with lots of bugs on it. Oh, and spiky bark. That was a thing, too. (God, she could’ve died and this could’ve ended up a tragedy.)

               The second thing that registered was the warmth spreading across her back and over her torso, where a pair of arms were currently wrapped.

               “You okay?” a voice asked, right next to her ear. “Why were you walking with your eyes clo—”

               “AAAH!”

               It took only a second for Hyunjoon to jab her elbow against that person’s chin and send them to the ground, releasing their grip on her.

               “Oh, no.” Hyunjoon immediately came back to—she blamed the Taekwondo classes she had been taking up over the summer. The person who had saved her was currently crouched on the ground, holding onto his chin.

               She immediately rushed to his side.

               “Oh, my gosh—I’m so sorry!” she apologized, crouching down next to him. “Um, I’m a medical student, so I guess I can help? Well, I don’t actually know shoot about medicine, but since I’m a medical student, maybe the powers are just innate within me?”

               Suddenly, the person in front of her started laughing. And when he put his face up to look at her, he was smiling. For the first time since she saw him that day in the library.

               “That’s not how it works, Hyunjoon,” Joonyoung laughed, shoulders moving up and down. “You have to _learn_ medicine to become good at it—being a student isn’t enough.”

               And just like that, Hyunjoon was mesmerized all over again. With the way he smiled. And the way he laughed. He had never done that sort of thing before. Every time Hyunjoon took a peek at him in the library or passed by him in the halls, he was always either nose deep in a book or talking poker-faced with his friends. She had wondered how he would look like smiling. Laughing.

               She didn’t know it would be this beautiful.

               Wait. This is Kang Joonyoung, right? Like, the Kang Joonyoung she fell in love with six months ago? Like, the Kang Joonyoung she couldn’t even say one word to because she was a spineless coward? Like, the Kang Joonyoung she finally mustered up the courage to talk to?

               Like, the Kang Joonyoung she just told everyone in the entire university was her boyfriend starting from tod—

               “AAAH, I’M SORRY MY STOMACH HURTS!”

               She had already stood up and turned to run away.

               But the hand that gripped hers stopped her from doing so.

               “Song Hyunjoon!” Joonyoung called out.

               She steeled a bit, surprised at such a tone. She turned around, looked at him.

               And saw a fire in his eyes that she never knew existed before.

               “I’m not letting you run away this time,” he said, a weight in every word. “I’m not letting you run away ever.”

               Hyunjoon wasn’t sure if Grandmother granted her wish or not. While she did ask for a future without Kang Joonyoung, she also asked for a miracle. And out of all of the people in her family, her Grandmother was the one person who actually asked her what she wanted to be.

               In any case, maybe that leap of faith she took when she burst through that room wasn’t as regretful as she had thought.

 

“You’ve known me for that long?” Hyunjoon asked, looking surprised, beret sitting peacefully on her lap. “Since first year high school?”

               “Yeah,” Joonyoung answered, cross-legged on the grass. The two of them were sitting next to that Tree of Death from before, which was beside Male Dormitory B, where Joonyoung currently resided in. After that entire scenario, they agreed to talk for a bit. “Though, we were only classmates in second year.”

               “Ah!” Hyunjoon snapped her fingers. “I remember now!”

               “You do?” Joonyoung asked, surprised. He didn’t even think that Hyunjoon even noticed hi—

               “You’re Jinyoung!” she said, looking as if she just landed a bulls-eye on a dartboard. “You changed your name!”

               Joonyoung snorted, instinctively covering his mouth.

               “N-no, I…” he tried. “I didn’t. I’m still Kang Joonyoung.”

               God, Hyunjoon just kept surprising him, didn’t she?

               When he looked up, he saw her looking back at him, eyes wide—like a kid seeing a rainbow for the first time.

               “You…” she started.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile before.”

               Joonyoung scratched behind his neck. “Well… that’s just been a habit of mine, I guess. I’ve always just been that unsmiling kid ever since I was young. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled a lot in pictures, either, now that I think about it. Or even as a baby.”

               “You should smile more often!” Hyunjoon said, smiling one of her own. “You look really handsome like that! Maybe if you pose with one of your Basic Baking books and smile a little, you could land yourself a modelling job. Like a street photo!”

               “It’s actually called ‘Baking Basics 101’, but I guess a modelling career could also be g—”

               Joonyoung cut himself short.

               “Hyunjoon,” he started, “how did you know that I owned Baking Basics books?”

               Hyunjoon visibly steeled at that, instinctively grabbing at her beret with about as much force as a person who had just been caught red-handed.

               “U-uh…” Hyunjoon turned away from Joonyoung, tucking a lock behind her ear. _Huh. There’s a mole on her ear that looks like an earring_. “Say, ‘Baking Basics books,’ three times fast…?”

               “Hyunjoon.”

               “Well, what about you, huh!” Hyunjoon immediately turned back and pointed an accusing finger at him. _She blushes from her cheeks, first and foremost_. “H-h-how did you know my name was Hyunjoon?”

               “I knew you since first year,” Joonyoung pointed out. “You were pretty noisy. Everyone knew who you were.”

               “Rude,” Hyunjoon grumbled, looking bitter.

               “You, on the other hand…” Hyunjoon looked up at that. “Ever since high school, you always got my name wrong. We’ve never even talked seriously. And the first time we’ve seen each other in this campus was two months ago. We don’t even attend the same course.

               “Hyunjoon… how do you know my name?”

_Kang Joonyoung, you are my boyfriend starting from today!_

“Arghhhhhpromisemeyouwon’tlaughormakefunofmeormakethismoreembarrasingthanitneedstobe?” she quickly asked, already pressing her beret against her face like she did when she was walking earlier.

               It took Joonyoung a few more seconds to decipher what she had said, but he answered, “Of course. Promise.”

               She took a deep breath before releasing it.

               Her words came out muffled.

               “I like you,” she said. “I really, _really_ like you.

               “Actually, we’d already met even before two months ago. It was _six_ months ago. Well, technically it was more than three years ago since we apparently already knew each other in high school, and also it was more _me_ knowing _you_ than _us_ knowing _each other—_ but that’s beside the point.

               “I saw you at the library. And you were reading your Baking Basics 101 book about bread, or something. And… I don’t really know how to explain it, but… when I saw you reading that book… and no offense to you Culinary Art majors, but a lot of the time, people think it’s a disgrace to study anything other Medicine, or Engineering, or Law… but you didn’t seem like that.

               “You were reading that book so passionately like it was an ancient scroll or something. And at one point, your eyes even lit up. Not literally, of course, but figuratively. Like something you read brightened up your world, or opened up a new door in front of you. It might’ve been just a little crack in the door, and the door might’ve not even opened all that wide… but you lit up anyway.

               “Ever since then, I kept seeing you everywhere. And you were like a magnet to me. I kept following you—my _heart_ kept following you. And I wanted to. To be with you.

               “I found out your name from one of my friends—his father’s the principal, so it was easy. And I _did_ plan on talking to you. Eventually. Someday. Hopefully. But every time you approach me, I get so nervous that I feel like I’m gonna embarrass myself and make you hate me, or something. I didn’t even know _why_ you kept coming and appearing like some magician! That made it all the more worse, you know?

               “So, when you _stopped…_ it felt like I had thrown all my chances away. And I didn’t want that. So, I asked around, looked for you, and when my friend told me that you were having a class at Building F, I ran. Towards you, not away from you. Not anymore.

               “And when I reached the classroom, and entered through the front door—when I saw you look back at me like that, like you already knew me… I was already speaking the words before I even knew what they were.”

               Hyunjoon pressed her beret even further against her face, maybe trying to find a way to mold with it, or something.

               “Arghhh, I’m really sorry—this is so embarrassing!” she said. “I swear, I am _so_ out of my element right now. I’m not usually like this, you know? Like—I’m the most beautiful person in the world with the prettiest smile and the most energetic aura around me? And I know it sounds like I’m bragging, and I am, but I just hope that whatever happened today—just forget it! I’m sure you must hate me and you want to avoid it but in my defense: it was really my friends’ fau—”

               Joonyoung had already taken the beret away from her hands and leaned in before she could say anything else.

               He’d never kissed a girl before. He never thought he’d be able to, after falling in love with her. Not because he thought she was above him, or that she was unreachable. He already knew from the start just how human she was, and how real she was—that’s what made him like her, after all. How she laughed without a care of what anyone thought. How her smile wasn’t beautiful because she was, but because the reason behind the smile was beautiful, too.

               He just thought he’d never be able to kiss a girl if it wasn’t her. He didn’t want anyone else but her.

               Because she made him smile, too. Simple as that.

               Joonyoung pulled away, and when he opened his eyes, he saw her. Just her.

               She was more beautiful than anything in the universe. Much, much more beautiful.

               “Joonyou—” she started—

               “Hey, you two! Public display of attention is against school rules!”

               Hyunjoon yelped, turning away. “Oh, no! It’s Professor Uhm! God, I hate that guy.” She turned to Joonyoung. “Come on, Joonyoung. Let’s g—”

               He leaned in again, swallowing her words. Kissing her. A simple, innocent one, but one he’d cherish for forever.

               “Hey! Stop it! You’re defaming the school!”

               Joonyoung pulled away yet again, finding Hyunjoon staring off at him, wide-eyed. Like he was the world. Who knew two different worlds could exist so closely to one another?

               “You kissed me,” Hyunjoon stated. “Like, twice.”

               “I know,” Joonyoung said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever done something like that.”

               “There’s even a teacher literally running towards us. Were you always this reckless?”

               “No.” Joonyoung shook his head, maybe a little panicked. “I’m actually feeling a bit nauseous from the nervousness.”

               “Well, then, I guess you and I are treading some new waters.” Hyunjoon grinned. “Because I’ve never been this not-reckless before ever.”

               “YAH! YOU PUNKS!”

               Hyunjoon had already stood up and pulled Joonyoung up from the grass, yanking him away faster than he ever knew he was capable of. It was so fast that it actually took away the nausea from his stomach. As ironic as it sounded.

               “Come on, Joonyoung!” Hyunjoon laughed, running away with him. “You can kiss me again after we’ve ran away! Faster, faster!”

               At that moment, Joonyoung was reminded of that fleeting feeling he had when he was just outside his dormitory. The moment when his heart wavered.

               If things had been different, Joonyoung probably would have walked inside his dorm room and slept until his class at eleven, giving his body its well-due rest. If things had been different, he probably would have stopped chasing after Song Hyunjoon and Hyunjoon probably would’ve given up, too. If things had been different, perhaps, Joonyoung could’ve been kissing someone else.

               But when Joonyoung’s heart wavered, it wasn’t as if it put itself back in its right place after that fleeting moment ended. Hell, it probably would’ve stayed a bit lopsided, a bit out of place, even if Joonyoung did somehow decide that Song Hyunjoon was still worth it all.

               But when Joonyoung’s heart wavered, it was Hyunjoon who reached out and fixed it. Rotated it and put it back the way it was. Even when she was praying to whoever higher being it was above her out of despair, behind her clasped hands, she was still laughing. Maybe found all of this a bit funny, ridiculous, a joke.

               It was enough to make him go back to her. It was enough to make him want to try again.

               For his heart to keep being set on her.

               For his heart had been set by her.

               Her, and her alone.

 

Younghyun and Dowoon peek outside of Younghyun’s room, Dowoon on top and Younghyun on bottom. They’re looking at Younghyun’s mother and father, who are seated by the foldable table.

               Younghyun’s father grabs his wife’s hand and gives it a kiss, and he smiles up at her after he does so.

               “You’re so old-fashioned,” Younghyun’s mother says, looking down with a pink face and a shy smile. “Who even kisses his wife’s hand anymore?”

               “I do,” his father answers with another kiss. “And I’m the only one who’s ever going to do so.”

               “You get it, Dad,” Younghyun says below Dowoon, with a raised fist. “Keep being the romantic poet I’ve always wanted to be.”

               “That explains why you’re so cheesy all the time,” Dowoon says, going back into Younghyun’s room.

               “It’s the gift that runs in the Kang-Song family,” Younghyun says, going back as well and standing up; he gets a bit dizzy after.

               Dowoon leans his side against the wall, staring up at Younghyun, who has his back pressed to the wall. A child is always a reflection of his parents—doesn’t matter if it’s through looks, or personality, or because of how he was raised. There will always be something similar—and it will always be undeniable.

               “Hey, Younghyun,” Dowoon asks.

               “Yeah?” he replies, giving him his full attention.

               “It was just a hunch when you told me your parents’ names, but…” Dowoon tilts his head a bit. “But is your name a combination of your parents’ names?”

               A grin pulls up Younghyun’s face and Dowoon would’ve kissed him if he didn’t want to know the answer so much.

               “Yeah!” Younghyun answers. “Can’t believe you got that.”

               Dowoon shrugs. “It’s just simple deduction. Joonyoung and Hyunjoon… they both have ‘Joon’ in their names, so if they were planning on combining their names to make a new one, it’d be obvious what it’d be. And I’m pretty sure neither of them wanted to have a child named ‘Joonjoon’.”

               Younghyun laughs. “Yeah, that’d be pretty funny. Fun fact, though,” he adds, looking back at Dowoon, “if I had been a girl, my name would’ve been Hyunyoung. If Mom and Dad ever have a daughter, I’m sure they would’ve named her that, too. _But_ they said that having even just one child is already hassle enough, so I guess I’m staying an only child.”

               If Younghyun had been a girl…

               Truth be told, Dowoon isn’t actually gay. He looked it up online and apparently he’s more what people would call “demisexual”, which is a lot more different. (Or demiromantic, who knows; they’ve never actually done it yet, so he can’t _truly_ truly confirm, though he’s already pretty sure.)

               So, if Younghyun had been a girl (and if Younghyun stayed attracted to guys, even as a girl), Dowoon probably would’ve stayed in lo—like with him, too. Her? Whatever—it’s messy.

               “Are you thinking about what it’d be like if I was a girl?” Younghyun asks, and Dowoon snaps out of his thoughts.

               “Uh… yeah.”  Dowoon nods. “Kinda.”

               Younghyun mulls over it. “Yeah, in hindsight, it’d probably be easier if we were a heterosexual couple,” he says. “No would judge us, there wouldn’t be that incessant fear that a homophobic person would throw unimaginable things at us at our wedding _or_ murder us, and if our families hadn’t been accepting, we still wouldn’t be afraid of losing our home. Unless, of course, you get me pregnant, but that is an entirely different story.”

               “I cannot believe I am hearing these words coming straight out of your mouth.”

               “You mean _gay_ out of my mouth.” Younghyun finger-guns him.

               Dowoon kicks him in the shin. “Anyway, your point?”

               “I’m just saying… other people have it easy, and even more people have it easier.” Younghyun looks up at his ceiling, at the glow-in-the-dark stars. “And I guess it’s understandable to wish you could be like that, too. You can’t help it if your safety’s on the line.

               “But the thing is… I like the way we are now. I like that I was born a guy, and that I was born liking guys. I like that this was something given to me—whether it was by my parents or something else entirely, I’m not sure, but still—I’m grateful.

               “I can’t imagine myself being anyone else but me. And I can’t imagine myself liking you as anyone other than myself.”

               Younghyun holds his hand—a habit? Or an instinct? Either way, Dowoon holds it back.

               “I like liking you like this,” he says. “And I like liking _you_ like this. I love you, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

               Dowoon leans in closer and gives him a peck on the cheek.

               “You really are cheesy,” he says. “But I like that about you. And I like liking you, too. I lo… like you, too.”

               The day ends at six o’ clock, and Younghyun’s parents call them for dinner. They eat, they clean up, they change into pajamas, and they fall under the covers of Younghyun’s sheets. Dowoon buries his face in Younghyun’s chest, and Younghyun wraps his arms around Dowoon’s torso. As they always do.

               It’s only been a few months, so of course neither of them would’ve changed much.

               It’s in the years that follow that tell you if there’s ever been a change.

               Dowoon hopes that, no matter what kind of change they go through, this one thing would never change: Dowoon hugging Younghyun comfortably, without any worry or concern, and Younghyun doing the same. Just that is enough.

               As long as that doesn’t change, Dowoon is happy to keep growing and improving. For the better, and perhaps, even for the worse.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOT GONNA LIE I DIDNT KNOW THIS CHAPTER WOULD END UP SO LONG 8K HOLY SHIRT
> 
> but omg ahadkjasdakjshjkansd;k im so happy to showcase how younghyuns parents ended up together????? it was honestly the sweetest idea that popped in my head and i just Had To Write It and give them a chapter of their own. the parents are such uwu people i just. i cannot. I canNOT.
> 
> i think i rmb a commenter before saying that theyd read a fic about younghyuns parents, so here you go, fren!!!!!! a chapter just for you ^^
> 
>  **also announcement: starting from next week, wsly shall be updating every SATURDAY 9AM KST ^^** (that is, the next update will be on next saturday, NOT tomorrow's saturday ^^)
> 
> a special thank you to my wonderful beta who has been beta-ing and reading-over all the chapters in wsly! she writes a ton of bts yoonjin and haikyuu tsukkiyama, so if youre interested go check her out at twitter ([@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway)) and ao3 ([@sofarahway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofarahway/))!! she also has an instagram ([@apriori.9293](https://www.instagram.com/apriori.9293/)) where she sells mostly books but also some other stuff occasionally!! 
> 
> thank you for reading this, and have a wonderful day ^^
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)


	21. The Best Friend Rule Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day as described by the Best Friend Rule Book.

_Best Friend Rule #2: As much as possible, start the day together. If not possible, call the police and report a possible kidnapping, etc. of Park Jaehyung immediately._

Jaehyung yawns to himself as he stands in the middle of the empty train station, the first car not having arrived yet. He fits his gloves into the pockets of his jacket, burying his chin in the scarf he made back in elementary. It's messy and scratchy, but it works really well with the cold. And Jaehyung does not like the cold.

            "Ugh, Jieun come quickly," Jaehyung mumbles to himself. "I'm becoming an ice cube here."

            It's only during times like this that Jaehyung only slightly regrets their agreed time to meet every school morning being before 6 AM. The reason why they always do this is because, in contrast to them being the noisiest people in the class, they actually like the quiet a lot. But when days are cold, the early morning is colder and Jaehyung wishes he brought a thicker jacket.

            Finally, as if his ancestors heard his tiny pleas and took pity on him, the first train of the day finally arrives at the station. Jaehyung would jump for joy if he wasn't freezing so much right now.

            The train comes to a halt and the automatic door opens, a few passengers leaving—probably office workers whose first shift in the day is just as early as them, poor guys. It's only when a few more seconds pass that the girl he's been waiting for finally steps out of the train, head bent down and looking at her phone as if it held the answers to the universe.

            "Morning, Ji," Jaehyung greets as Jieun walks towards him. "You freezing too or are you still a human oven?"

            Jieun types something on her phone before responding.

            "Either way, Jae, I am still hotter and cooler than you'll ever be," she says, not even looking at him.

            "Thanks. Did you finish the homework last night?" Jaehyung asks, crossing his arms.

            "Mm-hmm," Jieun almost mumbles, eyes still trained down on her phone. "Finished it during class yesterday."

            "During class? All the PowerPoints and everything?"

            "You can make PowerPoints on your phone, you know," Jieun answers, still typing. "Technology... is... amazing..." She said that last bit as if the words came slowly in her mind.

            Jaehyung stares at her. Jieun stares at her phone. The sound of her typing fills in the air surrounding the empty train station. A dog barks at virtually nothing.

            "Ji, what are you d—"

            "And done!" Jieun abruptly says, pressing a button on her phone and shoving the device in her skirt pocket. She starts pushing Jaehyung out the station. "Come on, baby boy best friend—we still need to prank Jooheon so he doesn't think he has the privilege to mess with me. You, definitely, but not me. Let's go!"

            Jaehyung almost stumbles with the way Jieun keeps pushing him, startled to the point he forgot his trail of thought. Well, whatever. He figures it isn't that big of a deal. It was probably just that PowerPoint she was talking about. What a nerd.

 

_Best Friend Rule #25: If there is suspicion of a change in behavior, utilize one or two of the Recommended Methods/Instruments to Check if Your Best Friend is Acting Weird (see Appendix 3, pp. 58-61). If results are positive, it is safe to assume something is wrong._

Kim Wonpil's staring at them. Rather obviously. He doesn't even look like he's trying to hide it.

            "Do you think he can read our thoughts?" Jaehyung whispers to Jieun, leaning into her space.

            "You sounded like Younghyun just now," she replies, thumb hovering over her phone.

            Their class representative's hawk-like eyes were already on both Jaehyung and Jieun the moment he and his best friend (Baek Seungjun, he believes his name is) entered the room, and even as he sat on his seat near the front. The guy has always had this weird vendetta against the two of them, always looking at them with a suspicious, squinted gaze and blaming them for every single bad thing that happens to them. (One time, while Jieun and Jaehyung were spying on him cleaning the room with Baek Seungjun, they saw him accidentally drop a bucket of water and he muttered under his breath, "Thanks, Park and Kim.")

            Jaehyung guesses it's because they're the most mischievous of the class—most mischievous of their entire grade level, really, and first only to (Lee) Jaehyung and Yoon Jeonghan—and "as the class representative, I can't keep letting you two get away with all this... junk." (Kim Wonpil had said that when they brought an entire box of blue eggs from Jieun's farm. It was for a Math project. Jieun had argued, "How dare you call this junk," and Jaehyung had nodded solemnly. It was the only day Kim Wonpil actually did intentionally let them get away with something.)

            Today, however, Jaehyung has no idea why Kim Wonpil is staring at them like that. I mean, yeah, the three jumbo-sized bottles of glue, the bag full of pink and blue feathers, the twenty tiny bottles of gold glitter, and the fact that they don't have any art projects assigned may seem suspicious, but Jaehyung thinks something else entirely must be involved. Maybe it's his bedhead. Yeah, it's definitely his bedhead; Kim Wonpil is very particular with the dress code.

            The sliding door opens and Jaehyung turns to see Younghyun come inside, followed by what looks like to be a walking bundle of fabric.

            "Younghyun, you're amazing. I didn't know you could bring life to so many articles of clothing," Jaehyung says.

            "What?" Younghyun asks, putting his bag down. "You can bring life to a lot of clo—?"

            "Younghyun, for god's sake, no," Dowoon says beside him, voice extremely muffled by the scarf around his... well, his entire head, really.

            The boy is clad with what looks to be at least five scarfs around his neck and about three jackets covering his entire body. Jaehyung guesses he's probably wearing a sweater underneath his uniform. And a shirt under the sweater. And an undershirt under the shirt. And an undershirt under the undershirt. He waddles across the room like an old man. Or a penguin.

            "It's been colder than usual today so I was worried he'd get sick," Younghyun says, reaching over to help Dowoon remove his scarf. He had been trying to tug it off but with difficulty; his hands look like they're covered in double the amount of gloves needed.

            Dowoon gulps in a gasp of air as soon as the second scarf is removed. "Younghyun, I do get sick easily but I don't need six scarfs around my head," he says, already shrugging off the first jacket. "I'm gonna be f—"

            Dowoon suddenly sneezes and Younghyun goes into panic, already wrapping the scarfs back over Dowoon's head.

            Jaehyung laughs to himself and turns to Jieun. "You should put this as Blackmail Material Number Fourteen."

            But Jieun isn't looking at Dowoon or taking any pictures on her phone, like Jaehyung expected. In fact, she hasn't said much at all since she got here, which is weird because she's the more talkative one between them. All she's been doing is staring at her phone, not even typing anything.

            Jaehyung pinches her cheek. No response.

            Frick, it's serious.

            "Jieu—"

            "Alright, class, everyone settle down," Ms. Yoon suddenly announces, coming in from the front sliding door. "I hope you all read your text book on logi—Mr. Kang, what is that."

            Everyone turns to Mr. Kang, who looks back, standing, in the middle of wrapping his own jacket around the mass of clothes next to him. Dowoon's face is unseen.

            "Dowoon gets sick easily," is all he says, face serious.

            Ms. Yoon stares at him. The entire class stares at him. Jieun puts her phone back in her pocket.

            "Well, we can't have that," Ms. Yoon says, putting her book down on the teacher's desk. "You may continue."

            Younghyun returns back to his work with a happy smile on his face. Jaehyung expects that Dowoon is screaming but his screams are probably unheard because of the amount of material blocking them. Poor Dowoon.

            Jaehyung looks back at Jieun, who's only now starting to dump all her things on her desk when she'd usually already done that the moment she hit her butt on the seat. If he was Younghyun, he'd probably still assume that it was still the PowerPoint issue from before.

            But he is not Younghyun. He is Park Jaehyung. And Park Jaehyung is smarter than he looks to be.

            Something is up. And Jaehyung is gonna get to the bottom of it.

  
_Best Friend Rule_ _#23: Any prank done to any friend, close or not, shall always have an accompanying amendment after the aforementioned prank has been done. Moreover, the friend to which the prank is to be done must be one who had previously given consent to such acts._

Unfortunately, Jieun doesn't bring her phone out at all after that, going back to her usual routine and acting as if everything is normal. The morning passes by quickly without her bringing out her mobile device and if Jaehyung is being honest, he's a bit disappointed. Maybe it really was just the PowerPoint.

            And now, thirty minutes into lunch hour, they stand in the room for the cooking club, Lee Jooheon clad in glue, feathers, and glitters, an empty box of pure sadness in his hands.

            "I knew there was something up when you asked me to go with you into the cooking club alone and without telling anyone else because you wanted me to give me a batch of cream puffs you made personally with your grandmother," Jooheon says with a pout on his face, head bent down in submission. A feather falls down from his hair. "You love your cream puffs too much."

            Jieun puts down the bucket of glitters with a smile on her face. "Good," she says. "At least you're learning."

            "To be honest, Jooheon," Jaehyung says, turning off the electric fan he used to fly the feathers in Jooheon's direction, "I think you should've known something was up when we told you to bring an extra batch of clothes today."

            "That, too."

            Jooheon is a good guy. Everyone knows that. He just has a sweet tooth too sweet for his own good. Much too sweet. It's why no one can hate him, really. Class 2 is so lucky to have him as a classmate.

            "Anyway, big guy, let's get you cleaned up," Jieun says, grabbing a bucket of water. "I got enough photos to blackmail you thirty times."

            "Oh, you're gonna help me clean up?" Jooheon says, completely disregarding the second thing she said.

            "Yeah," Jaehyung says. "What—did you think we were evil, or something?" He grabs a towel. "Morally ambiguous, maybe, but not evil."

            "Well, everyone says you are, so..." Jooheon grabs a towel, too. "Well, specifically, Jieun more than you. You're more like her consort."

            "Servant?" Jieun asks.

            "Yeah."

            "Nice." Jaehyung and Jieun high-five.

            They help Jooheon clean up himself, wiping the glue, feathers, and glitters off him. It's a good thing Jieun is friends (business partners) with Yoon Jeonghan or else they wouldn't have access to the cooking club. Jeonghan's the club leader, you see, though that's less because he's a good cook and more because everyone gets easily charmed by him. He gets his followers through love; Jieun gets hers through fear. He is her ultimate counterpart; it's a good thing they aren't enemies or this fic would be something else entirely.

            Soon enough, Jieun leaves the room when Jooheon has to change clothes because "I ain't gonna tap that."

            "You know, you guys are alright," Jooheon says, putting on a new glitter-less uniform over his head. "I'm sorry I stole a cream puff from Jieun.  I probably should've as—"

            "Wait, I think she'd want this recorded—hang on." Jaehyung gets his phone from his pocket and opens a voice recorder app. "Okay, repeat that. From, 'I'm sorry.'"

            "I'm sorry I stole a cream puff from Jieun," Jooheon repeats. "I probably should've asked her first."

            "She'll never give you one otherwise, but good sentiment. Carry on."

            "Do you guys usually prank people like this?" he asks, finally done withbuttoning up his shirt. Damn, if Jaehyung wasn't straight, he'd definitely tap that. (Wait.)

            "Only the ones who gave consent," Jaehyung says, pressing the square button on his phone. The rest of the conversation might turn into incriminating evidence. "You are literally the only one who said yes."

            "Oh, is that why you handed out those consent forms at the beginning of the year?" Jooheon asks. "I thought that was from the school."

            "Jooheon, what school would condone—and I quote— 'any form of prank done to an individual or group whose only limit is major injuries and death'?"

            "The pranks don't cover major injuries and death."

            "You're even worse than Younghyun." Jaehyung pats his shoulder. "I can respect that."

            Minutes later, Jaehyung and Jooheon leave the cooking club, having cleaned up all the mess themselves. (Jieun, you devious.) Jooheon gives a salute to Jaehyung before running back to class, probably to meet up with his friends or something. That could be anyone, really.

            Jaehyung spots Jieun leaning against a wall.

            "Hey, Ji," Jaehyung greets, waving his phone at her. "I got a recording of Jooheon apologizing, if you want i—"

            Jieun suddenly bursts out laughing and it's only now that Jaehyung realizes that she's looking at her phone.

            She types in something on her phone before putting it and a victory sign up in front of her. She presses a button on her phone and Jaehyung assumes it's a selfie. She puts her phone down and types in something, a smile on her face.

            She looks up and finally notices Jaehyung looking at her.

            "You look like you just saw your wife cheat on you with someone else," she points out before typing in something on her phone and pocketing it. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

            She leaves the hallway and Jaehyung, standing.

 _Rule number four,_ he thinks _. Rule number four._

  
_Best Friend Rule_ _#32: If you have a problem with your best friend and it is virtually impossible for you to amend things without breaking any of the rules under the Best Friend Rule Book, it is recommended to consult with another friend, a family member, or a stranger on the matter._

Jaehyung kicks a can from the ground and it hits a wall, bouncing backwards and subsequently hitting him on the head.

            "Woah, you okay?" Younghyun asks, looking at Jaehyung in concern as the guy holds onto his head like it got split in half. He's leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, totally not judging him at all.

            "I'm... I'm fine," Jaehyung whimpers, tea—sweat forming at the corners of his eyes. "I'm fine."

            The two of them are waiting for Younghyun's boyfriend and Jaehyung's best friend by the hallway, classes already dismissed. Some students are still roaming around the halls, though only one Jaehyung is concerned with at the moment.

            "Did something happen with noona?" Younghyun asks, looking like he actually cares, bless him. "You guys didn't fight or anything, right?"

            "No, no, it's nothing concerning noona." Jaehyung shakes his head dismissively, moving over and picking up the can from the floor. Take care of the environment even though fits of anger, kids.

            "Oh, so it's Jieun."

            "It's Jieun, actu—oh, how'd you know?" Jaehyung throws the can in the garbage bin labeled CANS. Remember to segregate, kids.

            "You two are always at each other." Younghyun shrugs. "I just assumed that if there's any person who'd make you in such a bad mood like this, she'd be the first."

            Jaehyung scoffs. "Like you're so lucky? Not everyone can be the prissy fairy tale-perfect couple like you are with the love of your damn life."

            Younghyun withdraws at that, looking at Jaehyung with surprised eyes. "Dude," he says, pointedly.

            A stab of guilt punctures him and Jaehyung lets out a sigh, running a hand down his face. "Sorry," he apologizes. "I didn't mean that."

            Younghyun just crosses his arms at him and leans back on the wall. It's enough for Jaehyung to know he's waiting for an explanation. He sighs again.

            "It's just—when we fight, it's never an actual fight, you know?" Jaehyung says. "We've known each other since we were seven. We know our boundaries and we know when we've hurt each other. So whenever we do fight, it's never anything serious. Just fun. Banter, and all that. We even created that Best Friend Rule Book so we'd be sure of what we can do and what we shouldn't do. We value our friendship so much it came to that.

            "Today, just..." Jaehyung lets out a loud sigh. "Today I've just been wondering if she still values our friendship as much as we used to."

            It's silent afterwards, despite the noise in the halls. A group of friends pass by, laughing loudly. Moon Byulyi zooms right past them, from the other direction. And Choi Seungcheol comes running after her, yelling, "Moonbyul, stop skipping track practice! You are literally our only runner!"

            "This is the part when you give sage advice," Jaehyung tells Younghyun, turning to him.

            "Huh? Oh, was I?" Younghyun asks, a little taken back. "Sorry, it's just—you said you've known each other since you were seven, right? I just thought that, of all people—of all her friends, really—it'd be you who'd know how to deal with this best. I didn't wanna give any advice."

            "And yet," Jaehyung pats him on the shoulder, "you did."

            Younghyun looks at him confusedly and like he's about to ask what Jaehyung meant, when a bundle of fabrics comes waddling by from the left corner of the hallway. A white sheet of paper is held by a scarf on where its face is supposed to be, as if whoever gave it to it realized that the bundle of fabrics had no opposable thumbs and just inserted it there for convenience's sake.

            "Yo, Do'n," Jaehyung says with a wave of a hand and Younghyun almost snaps his neck. "How you holding up?"

            The bundle of fabrics raises its two arms in a vague gesture and Jaehyung nods in understanding. Dowoon is suffering.

            Younghyun, bless him, finally reaches over to let Dowoon have some space between his face and the world around him. He takes the paper first before removing three scarves from Dowoon's face.

            "Oh, thank god—it felt like a day in an overly urbanized city in there," is the first thing that Dowoon says when he's set free.

            "You okay?" Younghyun asks, putting a hand on Dowoon's cheek. "I just remembered that excessive heat can also cause sickness. I wish you weren't too uncomfortable under all that."

            "Well, it was a bit hot and I couldn't really see anything," Dowoon says, letting Younghyun take off one of his jackets, "but it was really nice because of how cold it was outside. No one noticed I was sleeping during class."

            "So, that's why you suddenly hit your head on your desk earlier during English," Jaehyung says, recalling. "I thought it was because you were bored of the lesson. Even the teacher looked embarrassed of himself."

            "Oh, frick, you got a mark on your forehead from that," Younghyun notices, passing a thumb over it. "I'm such  a bad boyfriend," he says with a pout and furrowed eyebrows.

            "Ugh, stop saying that every time something like this happens," Dowoon groans. "You're literally the best boyfriend who could ever boyfriend in this entire world of boyfriends. And even when something like this happens, it's because you've just been caring so much for me. What kind of boyfriend just throws away the fact that their boyfriend likes them so much and yet they don't like their own selves as much either?"

            Jaehyung almost recoiled with how the guy’s voice raised so much as more words came out of his mouth. Dowoon turns to the side and crosses his arms, the angry furrow in between his eyebrows seemingly permanent. Jaehyung watches Younghyun stare at his boyfriend, guilt slowly defining his features.

            Then, Younghyun bends down a little and tilts his head up to get a look at Dowoon.

            "I'm sorry," he apologizes, voice softer than Jaehyung's ever heard it. "You're right. I won't say it anymore."

            Dowoon keeps glaring at the floor.

            "I'm not a bad boyfriend," Younghyun tries again. "I'm a good boyfriend."

            "You're the _best_ boyfriend," Dowoon corrects, turning to him with a glare.

            "I'm the best boyfriend."

            "You're the best boyfriend and the only boyfriend I ever wanna be my boyfriend."

            "I'm the best boyfriend and the only boyfriend you ever wanna be your boyfriend."

            “You’re the best boyfriend who’s gonna stop putting himself down for the smallest things.”

            “I’m the best boyfriend who’s gonna stop putting himself down for the smallest things.”

            "You're the best boyfriend who's gonna buy me a carton of oranges at the grocery today."

            Younghyun cracks a smile.

            "I'm the best boyfriend who's gonna buy you a carton of oranges at the grocery today," he says with a grin, and the corners of Dowoon's cheeks pull up as well.

            "You better," he says, trying to push down the grin coming up anyway.

            Younghyun leans in to peck Dowoon on the forehead. "Come on, let's get there before it closes."

            They bid Jaehyung goodbye, Dowoon's voice asking, "When does the grocery usually close, anyway?" and Younghyun's replying, "Usually nine, but they close early today," dimming softer and softer with every step, hands swinging.

            Jaehyung watches them go. The perfect couple that they are. Maybe the reason why they’re perfect isn’t because they don't fight. Maybe they're perfect because of how they fight. Why they fight. How they resolve their fights. Maybe that's why they've lasted so long. And so happily, too.

            "Heyyo, baby boy best friend."

            Jieun comes up to him then, finally finished with organizing her stuff, which took longer than usual.

            "We gotta get home quick if we wanna finish our pair work tonight," she says with a grin. "That report is no joke."

            Jaehyung lets a smile pull up his face then, nodding at her.

            "Yeah, let's."

            Hopefully, he'll be able to find the best way to deal with this, being the best person for the job.

            ("You're acting weird."

            ("No, I'm not."

            ("Yes, you are! You looked like you just went through an entire paragraph of monologue in your head!"

            ("It's not that weird! Everyone does that all the time. It's called 'thinking'."

            ("Yeah, but no one looks like they just got reincarnated four times in the last minute. Or you know, got a whiff of the good coosh."

            ("Like you would know what 'the whiff of the good coosh' would smell like."

            ("Jae, I _am_ the good coosh."

            ("What does that even mean."

            ("It means we have to get home now—let's go!")

 

Jaehyung tries to stare discreetly at Jieun, who's lying on her stomach with her phone right in front of her, typing something on it as if it's the most important thing in the world. He's sitting on her desk, her laptop open in front of him, position paper having only one word on it: "The".

            Suddenly, Jieun falls into a fit of giggles and she types another thing before taking a picture of herself, lying down on her bed. And suddenly, Jaehyung can't take this anymore.

            "I can't take this anymore!" he all but exclaims, standing up from the chair.

            Jieun looks at him, upside-down, head dangling off the edge of her bed as she puts her phone above her.

            "Jae, I told you—you can take any of those as much as you want," she says, gesturing to the box of chocolates on her bedside table.

            "No, i mean about your _phone,_ " Jaehyung clarifies, crossing his arms. "And how you've been using it so often these days."

            "What—I can't use my phone? You Baby Boomers always against us Gen Zs—"

            "Kim Jieun."

            She stops at that.

            "Frick, it's serious," she mutters under her breath.

            Jieun puts down her phone and sits up on her bed, crossing her leg one over the other. She looks ready to listen. Jaehyung lets out a sigh.

            "You've been on your phone so much these days," he starts. "You ignore me when I speak to you. You don't even look at me when I speak to you. You're always typing and I know it can't be Twitter because your typing pattern isn’t the same and I know it can't be Instagram because you only ever use that to gather blackmail material and I know it can't be Facebook. It just can't.

            "So, the only thing that I can think of is that you've been talking to someone. Someone you've never told me about. Someone you're able to send pictures of yourself to without feeling awkward."

            Jieun looks at Jaehyung with all seriousness in her eyes. Jaehyung takes a deep breath.

            "Jieun, I know you already turned eighteen this year, which means you're technically already an adult, but something like this isn't something I feel comfortable with as your best friend and practically your family member (even though Grandmother likes to be in denial).

            “I don't know how much you're getting paid to do this, but no matter the amount, your chastity is priceless, and I just don't want anything bad to happen t—"

            "Waitwaitwaitwaitwait—hold the freaking phone," Jieun abruptly interrupts him. "What—what are we talking about, exactly?"

            Jaehyung looks at her pointedly. "About the person you've been sending photos of yourself to."

            "The person I've been sending ph— _ohh, nononononono_ — _Jae_ , _no_."

            Jieun runs both of her palms down her face, looking like she just lost five years.

            "Jae, I'm not selling myself online!" she exclaims, putting her hands down, looking at him in disbelief.

            Jaehyung furrows his eyebrows. "You're not?" he asks, confused.

            "NO! Are you kidding me? If I were gonna do something like that, it'd be with stock photos, not my actual body!" she says as if Jaehyung had grown an extra head. "And frankly, not just anyone can have visual access to this." She just gestured to all of her.

            "So, you're not selling yourself online for about probably a million dollars?" Jaehyung asks her, just to be sure.

            "No, I am not. And frankly if I were, it would be for at least a billion. At _least_."

            Well, at least she isn’t doing anything dangerous. But Jaehyung still leans against the desk, arms still crossed. Jieun looks at him, and he knows she knows. He knows she knows.

            Jieun sighs.

            "Rule Number Four, right?" she asks, scratching behind her neck.

            "Rule Number Four," Jaehyung repeats, nodding.

            "Sorry, it's just... I just wanted it to be something only I knew about, you know? Something I could keep for myself. Something precious that's precious _because_ of the fact that only I know about it."

            "You could've told me, you know," Jaehyung says. "You could've told me you couldn't tell me, and I would've gotten it."

            "But you'd still know about it," she says. "You'd still know that there was something you didn't know, and it wouldn't be the same."

            Jaehyung breathes a laugh. "We really need to write that Fourth Edition of the Best Friend Rule Book," he says. "This is already our fifth loophole."

            Jieun laughs, too. "I've still got a long way to go before I could be a good lawyer."

            "Nah," he says. "You're already good."

            They look at each other, smiles on their faces, the moment a bit too vulnerable for theboth of the—

            "We should stop looking at each other—I don't wanna end up falling in love with you," Jaehyung says, breaking the ice.

            "Ugh, don't even mention it—that'd be such a nightmare." Jieun shrugs. "You can't even cook _real_ food."

            " _You_ can't even _cook_ food."

            "Touché."

            "Ayy."

            "Ayy."

            They fall into a comfortable silence, Jaehyung flopping back down on Jieun's chair and Jieun picking her phone back up. Jaehyung can't help his gaze trailing towards the device in her hands.

            "Okay, but you have been talking to someone, though, right?" he asks. "I'm right on that aspect at least, right?"

            "Impatient—I was just about to show you." Jieun flips her phone so that the screen is facing Jaehyung. "Here."

            Jaehyung leaves the desk to peek at her phone more accurately. When he sees the name, his eyes widen bigger than ever before.

            "Is that—?" He turns to her.

            "The one and only." Jieun withdraws her phone with a cat-that-caught-the-canary look.

            "So, you—have you—?"

            Jieun shrugs. "Not sure yet," she says. "But we'll see."

            Jaehyung flops down on the floor, crossing his legs one over the other. He's still in shock. He's still shook.

            "Well,” Jieun starts with a smile on her face, “whatever happens, we’ve still got Rule Number One, don’t we?”

            Jaehyung breathes a laughter at that.

            “Rule Number One, always.”

 

_Best Friend Rule Number #4: Secrets are forbidden between two best friends if there is no valid reason for it and any secret unlawfully kept must be put into light as soon as possible to lessen the form of punishment to be imposed (see Punishments, p. 36)._

_Best Friend Rule Number #1: Once a best friend, always a best friend. Especially if the friendship is true._

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on the rare chance that there is anyone who ships jijae together i am here to tell you It Will Never Happen, but you can dream as much as you want uwu (and tell me your dreams!!!!! *0*) (also omg can u imagine someone writing fanfiction abt my fanfiction, whether or not its tru to canon hs that would be so lit?? i actually wanted to write a fic abt this one fic once, but i forgot what fic it was T T)
> 
> FUN FACTS  
> \- this chapter was going to originally be about how the best friend rulebook came to be and basically give a glimpse of jijae's childhood friendship, but then (a) i realized that a future chapter already serves that purpose and (b) i wanted a good transition into the next chapter ^^ nyeheheheheheeh ;)
> 
> a special thank you to my wonderful beta who has been beta-ing and reading-over all the chapters in wsly! she writes a ton of bts yoonjin and haikyuu tsukkiyama, so if youre interested go check her out at twitter ([@flyfarahway](https://twitter.com/flyfarahway)) and ao3 ([@sofarahway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofarahway/))!! she also has an instagram ([@apriori.9293](https://www.instagram.com/apriori.9293/)) where she sells mostly books but also some other stuff occasionally!! 
> 
> thank you for reading this tiny thing of mine, and i hope you have a wonderful day!! 
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	22. Jieun and Mina (pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As she walks through the business district on her own for the first time, little things remind her of a memory colored orange and pink.

Tiny backpack? Check.

            Money? Check.

            List of groceries? Check.

            Favorite watch? Check.

            Blue dress ironed? Check.

            Hair dried? Check.

            Ready to go? Well…

            She stares at the mirror for a while, feeling a little bit nervous. There's a pink tinge to her cheeks, but not like that's anything new. She passes a hand over her short hair, length just above her shoulders, as a habit. Her heart is running a marathon.

            She closes her eyes for a bit, counting in her head. One, two, three. Four, five, six. Seven, eight, nine. And ten.

            She opens her eyes. She's still staring in front of the mirror.

            A smile crawls up her face as excitement bubbles up alongside the nervousness in her chest.

            Kim Mina, ready to go? Check, check, and check.

 

“Mommy, it’s alright; I got almost all of the things we need already,” Mina says on the phone, walking a bit slowly along the refrigerator aisle. She passes by bottles of banana milk, chocolate milk, coffee milk, green te—ooh, they have strawberry milk? Mina’s never seen that before.

            “Honestly, Mommy, you don't have to worry about anything,” she says, crouching down in front of one of the glass doors, checking the prices. “It’s not like this is my first time at the grocery—just my first time at the grocery _alone_.”

            It had taken her a long time to convince her parents to let her buy at the grocery on her own for the first time. Before this, she had always been buying her groceries with either her mother, her father, or both tailing behind her—which was embarrassing, to say the least.

            They're always so protective of her, scared that their little girl was gonna get hurt, or injured—worried that something would happen to her if they let her out of their sight for even a second. And in hindsight, that is actually pretty sweet—that they love her so much they don't want anything to happen to her.

            But Mina’s already sixteen. That’s only two years away from eighteen. And one day, she's going to be moving into a college, and then getting her own job, and then having a family, and she can't keep having her parents watching over her shoulder every time. She needs to be an adult. And she needs to start now, not later.

            Unfortunately, however, her parents are _still_ not ready to fully let go of the reins just yet.

            “Mommy, I swear it’s gonna be fine—it’s already fine,” she says, stifling a sigh lest she disrespect their judgement. “I got the dozen eggs, the box of cereal, the two bags of flour, and I’m already on my way to get the oil!”

            Mina stifles another sigh as she listens to her mother’s laments.

            “ _Yes_ , Mommy, I promise I’ll be back before three,” she says. “I’ll only be there for a few minutes; they make their drinks really quickly! … Yes. … Yes. … _No_ , ew—never. …Yes. … Okay, Mommy. Love you, too. Bye-bye.”

            Mina puts down her phone and finally lets out her sigh, crouched in front of the refrigerator. God, she hates it when they get like this. It’s not like she's irresponsible! She can do stuff! And yeah, she might be a bit clumsy, but she hasn't tripped at all on her way to the grocery, so give her some credit, at least!

            Mina just shakes her head to herself and stands up to open the refrigerator. That strawberry milk is not on the list, but with everything's that's happened, frankly, she deserves it.

            She bends down to grab a bottle, and suddenly catches a glimpse of long, flowy hair behind her, almost flying.

            And suddenly, the whites of the walls of the grocery color a blushy shade of pink. The green lines accenting the refrigerator doors turn a warm shade of orange. And everything about the place she’s in reminds her of someplace else, the hues and pigments bleeding ink paint right through it.

            Mina abruptly turns back to look, heart pounding, mind frazzled, hoping, wishing—

            But it’s just a lady with long hair, her son asleep on her shoulder.

            And it’s back to the whites of the grocery, clear and pristine, as always.

            Mina looks away to the refrigerator and the strawberry milk in her hands, reading the label but not really.

            What was she thinking? It’s been five months—what was she thinking?

            She shakes her head and closes the refrigerator, walking over to the oils in the corner.

 

The noise of the city out-rules the silence of the grocery, and Mina, in actuality, kinda likes it a little.

            Everywhere she walks there's always people talking amongst themselves, sharing conversations of whatever they want to talk about. And Mina always finds it so fascinating that everyone who walks in the city has at least one story to tell, no matter what kind. Every single person walking is a book full of chapters that only few know—and if Mina had the choice, she’d read every single one of them.

            Truth be told, however, Mina’s about the shyest human being on the planet. She freaks out during class presentations, squeaks when her classmates try to talk to her, and runs away if anyone so much as invites her for anything—lunch, study sessions, norae bang, what have you.

            She just doesn't know how to deal with people, and no matter how hard she tries, she just can't do anything about it.

            It’s not like she doesn't want friends—she really,  _ really _ does. It’s just—she's scared she'll embarrass herself, and she doesn't know what to say during certain situations, and  _ ahhh _ , how do people even  _ say _ more than, “Hi, hello, who are you and how?”

            I guess that's why she's been trying to be more adult-like and independent—using the groceries as a stepping stone. Maybe if she earned herself a little bit more confidence in doing things on her own without anyone breathing over her shoulder, maybe she'd also have the courage to talk to other people, as well.

            Though Mina figures it will probably take a  _ long _ time before either of those happen—both on her parents’ part and hers.

            Looking around, Mina finds herself in the district area of the city, the one with all the shops and the malls, and people mingling about doing whatever it is they want to do. It’s a pattern of gray, white, and a bit of yellow and blue, courtesy of the lights in every corner. The shop that she's looking for is one with a palette of green and brown, kind of like a forest but in the city. Also, very cozy—she's been there a couple of times with her parents and the ambience always makes her feel so soft as a person.

            Unfortunately, though, she can't seem to find it; she must be on a different side of the district. And she most definitely remembers that that fish shop right there with the fat cat sleeping in front of it is nowhere near the shop she's looking for. (The urge to squish its cute, wittle fat cheeks is _so_ strong.)

            So, she turns away, ready to trek the roads of the city to search for her final destinati—

            Someone taps her shoulder.

            “Excuse me—”

_“—could I talk with you for a sec?”_

            Pink roads.

            Orange lights.

            Warm sky.

            And pastel buildings.

            “—you dropped this.”

            Mina turns around and it’s a boy with dyed brown hair. In his hand is a keychain, her keychain, of a very lazy egg character looking ready to fall asleep.

            Mina tries a smile and takes her keychain back, roads back to a dark gray.

            “Thanks,” she says.

            The boy nods at her and walks away, and she stays there, just for a second.

            Then, that second passes by and she turns away, and walks on like nothing ever happened.

 

Mina plays with her strawberry milkshake absentmindedly, stirring it with the metal straw and letting the _clink, clink_ fill up the silence of the café. First in the grocery, and then with that boy… god, she really can't believe herself.

            She tries not to let it get to her, but the disappointment in her chest is flowing impossibly violet and okay, if she wasn’t in public right now, she would probably let blue paint drip down her cheeks, wiping it with her bedsheets.

            It’s just so… stupid, really. The fact that she’s still so caught up over something that happened five months ago. You’d think a girl would learn, but even Megara ended up admitting her love to Hercules, so what up with that?

            Everywhere she looks she’s reminded of that time, painting the canvas around her in the same two colors. It had been something that kept her up the night after, and the nights that would come, and eventually slipping into her days as daydreams. At that moment, her heart had glowed in a way it hadn’t for a while, and maybe it was because of that feeling that Mina still has hope, even just a little blob of it, standing as a sphere on the edge of a paintbrush, waiting for the day it could color the blank sheet of paper in front of her.

            But even though it was stupid, she wasn’t. And she knows she can’t keep hoping for forever forever. She can’t keep that paintbrush holding up for so long or else she’s gonna get cramps. And that glow in her heart, the glow that she still has, is gonna dim down sooner (not likely) or later (we’re already there).

            She knows it’s inevitable, and she’s already accepted it. You can’t meet someone for the first time for a second time, no matter how much you want to. The world may be small, but this city is big—and the chances of seeing that person again is close to none.

            So, Mina finally sips on her strawberry milkshake (the woman at the counter really knows her stuff) and lets the drink be the only pink thing in the room. The thought of that person comes again to mind, and she finds that she doesn’t mind. She lets herself think of them, wonder how it’d be like if they’d tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and lets a small, tiny smile come up her face.

            The ending will be sad, but at least let her be happy. There’s a reason why her favorite color is violet, not pink.

            Suddenly, the bell to the café rings. Mina instinctively turns to whoever walks inside that door—

            And her heart stops beating.

            The café’s door is lined a clean white, but to Mina it’s a blushy shade of pink. The floor is a woody shade of brown, but to Mina it’s painted orange. And the weather’s been cold lately, so cold that the café is, too, but her world is warm, and her world is pastel, and her eyes are a shade of baby blue.

            And where that person steps on the orange floor, it turns a saturated purple.

            That person passes her hand by the pink door and turns the handle a fiery red.

            And when she passes just in front of Mina’s table, her eyes turn a shade of royal blue.

            The world around her is suddenly super pigmented and every color is clearly defined, deep and rich and there and evident, and what was on Mina’s heart, she finally also lets in her mind.

_It’s her. It’s really her._

            The girl sits at the table in front of Mina’s and it’s only now that she notices the two boys trailing behind her, who sit next to her as well. One of them picks up a menu and the other goes to the counter, probably to buy something for the three of them. Mina probably couldn’t care less.

            Mina has no idea what to do. The person that she had been lamenting mentally about in her mind literally just a few seconds ago is now also literally only a few steps away. What does she do in this situation? Does she go talk to her? No, she’ll probably have a heart attack. Does she take a picture of her and leave? No, that would be freaking creepy and frankly, that girl would probably file a restraining order against her if she does that. Does she keep staring at the girl? No, that would be weird, and in all honesty, she should probably look away before—

            The girl suddenly turns to look back at Mina and notices her looking.

            … Yeah, exactly that.

            Mina promptly squeaks out a shriek and grabs her groceries to hide behind it, wanting the world to end.

            God, what was she thinking? Or rather, why wasn’t she thinking? She should’ve kept the staring to only five seconds, max—everyone knows that’s an acceptable amount of time to stare at someone! Everyone except Mina, apparently!

            Mina groans internally, hating everything. She feels her heart pound extremely loudly in her chest, and not in the way it usually does when she daydreams about the girl in front of her.

_Okay, gotta calm down. It’s okay, Mina; it’s okay. She probably thinks you’re weird, but that’s okay. It’s not like you’re planning on talking to her, anyway, so just be cool about it and walk away. But ask if it’s okay to get your milkshake to go. It’d be a waste if you don’t finish it._

            Mina counts to ten in her head, trying to calm her beating heart down. One, two, three. Four, five, six. Seven, eight, nine. And ten—

            “Boo!” someone says behind her, placing their hands on her shoulders.

            Mina promptly shrieks and turns to punch whoever it was who disrespected her parents’ one and only baby girl.

            “Ow!” the person says and it’s only then that Mina realizes it’s a girl.

            Specifically, the girl she’s been crushing on for five months.

            “Oh, my goodness!” Mina gasps, standing up from her chair. The girl is currently bending down, hand on her stomach, where Mina had just punched her earlier.

            “Yo, what the—what on earth happened?”

            Mina turns around to see the two boys walking over to her. Oh no, all those dramas had been right—Mina’s the butthole male lead and these guys are the second male lead who is protective of the female lead and is obviously the best choice for her, but the screenwriters just can’t seem to let go of the first male lead even though it just doesn’t make sense!  

            “Dowoonnie, Younghyun, it’s fine,” the girl wheezes, putting a hand up. “I’ve literally survived two car accidents—this is nothing.”

            “You survived two car accidents?” all three of them yell at her, including Mina.

            “Technically, I made two car accidents happen, but whatever.” She dismisses them both with a hand. “Anyway, just do as we planned and make sure you get good angles of noona and bad angles of Jae when he comes—I wanna make sure he’s embarrassed but also really mesmerized by his future girlfriend. When they go on their first date, I’m gonna make sure he is reminded of those pictures.”

            The two boys look at each other weirdly, and the shorter one glances at Mina once.

            “Okay, but could you tell us why she punched you?” he asks, gesturing to Mina with a pointed gesture of the palm.

            The girl breathes out a laughter. “Oh, I’m gonna find out.”

            And suddenly, Mina is yanked away by the wrist, towards the door of the café and okay, now she’s _really_ freaking out.

            “Ahhh, what are you doing?” Mina almost shrieks, almost tripping on her way out the café.

            But the girl smiles down at her, already out of the shop and says,

            “Just catching up on old times.”

            It’s gonna be a long time before her heart dims down. A very, very long time.

 

Mina stands awkwardly, leaning on a wall in an alleyway, but only just a step into it; the outside world is literally just an inch to her right. The girl stands in front of her, hand still on her stomach, but there’s a smile on her face. A really, really nice smile with dimples Mina’s never noticed before.

            “Um,” Mina starts, timidly, looking down at her doll shoes with the straps. She can see the girl’s brown boots standing about ten inches in front of them. “I-is your stomach okay?”

            “I’ll live,” the girl says, and Mina glances up to see her in the middle of a shrug. “I’ve been through worse.”

            “I-I’m really sorry I punched you,” Mina apologizes, tucking that lock of hair that just keeps going in front of her face for some reason behind her ear. “I didn’t mean to… um… punch you,” she settles, not having the right words to say she is feeling unbelievably guilty and overwhelmingly mortified right now.

            “It’s okay,” the girl says, putting her hands on her hips. “In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have tried to scare you, either. Not my best moment.”

            She laughs a little and Mina lets a tiny smile crawl up her face. She rubs at her arm, not knowing what to do next.

            “So, uh,” the girl starts, clasping her hands together, “well, I noticed you were staring at me earlier, and I th—”

            “We met five months ago,” Mina blurts out, feeling blood rush to her cheeks.

            The girl blinks at her, looking mildly but pleasantly surprised.

            “… We did,” she affirms, as if it was a concluding statement. “You remember all that?”

            It’s then that Mina finally reveals her secret power: panicking with no restrictions.

            “W-w-well, y-y-yes—I-I-I mean, not like I th-th-think about it every d—I-I mean, no, who would think that—I mean, yeah, I remember! It was—was o-o-on a Wednesday and I r-r-remember that b-b-because the day before was club day a-a-and I didn’t know it was club d—I don’t know why I’m telling you this—u-u-um, I-I-I d-d-don’t—wh-what I m-meant to say w—”

            Suddenly, the girl leans in and stops, just four centimeters away from Mina’s face.

            Mina’s lungs stop breathing at that exact same moment, hyper-aware of how close they are. The girl’s arm is caging Mina’s left side, and the way she looks at her makes her want to keep being silent for the rest of time.

            “Good,” the girl says with a smile. “You’ve calmed down.”

            She pulls away with a cheerier smile, crossing her arms, and Mina can do nothing but stare at her in shock. What did she—why did she—did she get that close just to shut Mina up?

            The girl breathes out a laughter, seeing how speechless Mina is. “I’m sorry; it’s just that you were panicking so much even though there was no reason to. Figured that’d be the quickest way to get your nerves down.”

_Except that didn’t work out, because my heart is suddenly running a one-kilometer sprint._

            The girl reaches out a hand, smiling brightly, dimples showing ever-so-beautifully.

            “My name is Kim Jieun,” she says. “Eighteen years old. Third year.”

            Jieun. Her name is Jieun.

            Mina stares at the hand in front of her for a while. It’s weird, seeing it now; she’d always imagined what it’d be like to hold it, and now she’s about to. Granted, it was more of a let’s-swing-our-hands-as-we-walk-towards-the-sunset type of thing, but whatever—same difference.

            Gingerly, and while counting to ten in her head, Mina grabs Jieun’s hand and shakes it a bit.

            “K-Kim Mina,” she introduces herself, staring back down at her shoes. “Sixteen years old. First year.”

            “You’re two years younger than me!” Jieun exclaims, not letting go of Mina’s hand. “That makes me your unnie! And you my dongsaeng!”

            “I-I guess…” _Please let go of my hand please let go of my hand I don’t wanna end up hyperventilating plEASE LET GO OF MY—_

            “Wahhh, I’ve always wanted a little sister,” Jieun says, grinning at her. “What luck to have one as cute as you.”

            Mina almost chokes on her own spit, feeling a hot wave run down her entire body.

            “Wh-wha—c-c-c-c—”

            “That’s right—cute,” Jieun finishes for her, finally letting go. She uses her now-free hand to boop Mina’s nose. “You’re very cute, you know? Adorable. Precious. Pure. Cute. And cute. And cute.”

            Mina can feel her face burn at the words, not wanting to look at Jieun in the face lest she explode. Or implode. Whichever comes first.

            “U-unnie, that’s a bit…” Mina doesn’t bother with the stray lock of hair anymore. When before it gave her annoyance, now it gives her protection. “I’m not that cute…”

            Jieun breathes out a laughter, and suddenly, Mina’s hair is tucked back behind her ear, Jieun’s hand staying there for just a second.

            “Give yourself some credit,” she says. “You’re prettier than anyone I’ve ever seen. And I’ve looked at myself in the mirror more than once.”

            At that, a fond memory comes to mind, and Mina finds herself staring down at her shoes, but with a smile coming up her face. It’s her; it really is her.

            A few minutes later, Jieun has to leave because for some reason, some person named Jae kicked the two boys from before out of the café, though they didn’t seem too bothered. Mina had reentered the café to get her things and found Jieun already handing it over to her without another word but with a smile on her face. And she had bid her goodbye and Mina had done the same before asking the pretty lady behind the counter if she could get her milkshake to go. She could, and she did, and the way home was sweet, for more reasons than one.

            One of the repercussions that night, however, was that Mina was no longer allowed to buy groceries on her own for an entire month. Not because she got home late, nor because she got mugged or mauled or whatever, nor because she tripped on her way up the stairs.

            It was because Mina let out the loudest shriek in the world when she was checking her groceries and they thought there was a bug infestation.

            In actuality, it was a handkerchief with a phone number written on it.

 

Mina  
hi, unnie :) um, this is mina. I got your number 3:42 PM

Kim Jieun-unnie  
heyyy, mina-yah ❤️ did you get home safe? 3:47 PM

Mina  
yes, I did ^^ how about unnie? 3:48 PM

Kim Jieun-unnie  
as safe as I can be w my best friend on my tail lmao 3:49 PM  
have you saved my number into your phone yet? 3:49 PM

Mina  
yes, unnie 3:49 PM

Kim Jieun-unnie  
what did you save it as? 3:50 PM

Mina  
um, just “kim jieun-unnie”. why? 3:51 PM

Kim Jieun-unnie  
why don’t you save it as “jieun-unnie ❤️” so we can match? 3:52 PM  
mina-yah? 3:59 PM

Mina  
um, sure!! I will!! Im totally cool with it!! I don’t feel shy at all!! Yeah!! 4:00 PM  
um, please delete that last part, unnie. Um, i mistyped 4:01

Kim Jieun-unnie 💜  
mina, youre cute 3:52 PM

 

            A very, _very_ long time.

 

_“—you do it? You’re the one with the crush on the girl!”_

_“What if she thinks I’m weird? Or not weird enough? Or a predator—I’m not a predator, man; I’m not.”_

_“Ugh, fine; I’m doing it myself.”_

_“Wait, let’s at least plan it out fir—_ Ji _!”_

_Mina felt a tap on her shoulder and the first thing she noticed was long, black, straight hair, the wind sending it flying._

_“Excuse me,” the girl started, “could I talk to you for a sec—woah.”_

_She had abruptly cut herself off, suddenly staring at Mina with wide eyes._

_“You’re really pretty,” she breathed, seemingly speechless._

_Pink. Orange. Warm. And pastel. Those were the exact colors that painted that exact moment. Colors that tinted Mina’s heart. Colors that defined it. Defined her._

_But then that girl was yanked away by an angry boy with eyeglasses, saying something like, “I can’t believe you did it again!” before dragging that girl away as they went into a light debate._

_And Mina had been left breathless, speechless, heart starting to pulse a pink and orange glow, cheeks painted the same way._

_The three words that were supposed to make you fall were, “I love you,” not, “You’re really pretty.”_

_And yet, they did. And yet she did. And yet that girl was able to._

_Mina didn’t really expect to see her again after that._

_Oh, how wrong she would be._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WE'RE FINALLY GETTING INTO JIEUN'S LVOE STORY WITH MY GIRL MINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
> 
> akdhakhak you dont understand how hyped up i am for this hngggg ive been so excited to finally be in the jieun/mina (mieun??? jina???) arc after the jaenoona/jaereum arc and aCK we have come so far!!!
> 
> if youve got any questions about mina (or literally anything you want!!), you can go ahead and ask me on curiouscat or dm me on twt!! (links are below ^^)
> 
> NOTES  
> \- i made this chapter in mina's perspective because i wanted readers to get to know mina in a firsthand basis, unlike areum, who was always observed at a third-party level in jae's eyes  
> \- the original draft started with the moment jieun and mina met at the bus stop (they met at a bus stop, ok; i wasnt able to make it obvious bec i suck but lets establish the fact that they met a bus stop) and continued on with how they re-met at beauteaful. buuuuut writing it didnt feel ~dynamic~ enough and it didnt rly spark me any joy, so i started with mina's day, and then put in flashbacks and hints for ~suspense~ and it turned out greater!  
> \- the original beginning lines were "Mina didn't really expect to see her again after that" and "It started five months ago"  
> \- did some minor edits after it got beta-ed ^^ (02/25/2019)
> 
> BIG BIG BIG BIIIIIG THANK YOU TO OUR NEW BETA FOR WSLY JESSICA ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt)!! they did SUCH an amazing job on betaing this thing and asdasjdljal thank you so much!!! sadhakdask
> 
> thank you for reading this tiny thing of mine, and i hope you have a wonderful day!! 
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)
> 
>  


	23. Sungjin, the class representative's best friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sungjin isn't really known to be more than just Wonpil's best friend. The way he sees it, Wonpil cares more about it than he does.

“Just go to him already! I’m pretty sure we’re right about it this time.”

            “What if we’re wrong? I don’t want class rep to have our heads again.”

            “We’re not. We already asked around—what are the odds of thirty-two people having the same answer and still getting it wrong?”

            “We didn’t ask Younghyun, though…”  

            “Well, would you rather be right but dead, or wrong and only severely injured?”

            “… Yeah, let’s just go to him.”

            Sungjin feels a tap on his shoulder, and he looks up from his textbook to see Han Sanghyuk and Lee Hajoon standing next to him, looking like a couple of new employees talking in front of their boss for the first time. Hajoon even has a file case tucked in front of him and under his arms.

            “Hey, uh… man,” Sanghyuk greets, grinning awkwardly. “We just came to give you our part of the project.”

            Sanghyuk nods at Hajoon, who nods back. The latter opens the file case and hands Sungjin a thin stack of papers attached by a paper clip.

            “Oh, thanks,” Sungjin says, receiving the paper.

            “Mm-hm,” Hajoon says. “So… I guess we’ll be on our way, then… dude.”

            Hajoon nods at Sanghyuk, who nods back. They turn away to leave—

            Someone clears their throat.

            Sanghyuk and Hajoon flinch, and the three of them turn to the boy sitting next to Sungjin, notebook in his hands and a sharp look on his face.

            “He,” Wonpil says, voice stern, “has a _name_.”

            Sanghyuk and Hajoon turn to each other and take a deep breath. Then, they turn to Sungjin.

            Hajoon starts, “It was a pleasure working with you…”

            Sanghyuk gulps, before taking a deep breath.

            “… Baek Seungjun.”

            It’s silent afterwards. Sungjin notices that even the entire class is holding their breath, save for the four people at the back, waiting for the outcome of this story.

            Unfortunately, it seems the resolution has already been determined.

            “His name…” Wonpil starts, and Sungjin can see anger surging through his veins, “is _Park_ … _Sung… JIN_!”

            Sungjin promptly sighs and turns away from Wonpil going into another angry rant about how important it is to know the names of your classmates and at the way Hajoon and Sanghyuk cower in fear and regret, probably wanting the world to end at this very moment.

            This has always been a thing with Sungjin ever since Kindergarten. No matter the situation, people always got his name wrong and no matter how many times Wonpil (angrily) corrected them, they’d always forget it and in the end, the cycle begins again.

            It’s what happens, really, when your best friend is Kim Wonpil, the high-achiever who somehow always ends up becoming the class representative of every single class ever since elementary. He attracts attention with everything he does: commanding the class, gaining the teachers’ approval, making sure every project and school activity he does is perfect. He is known for being a strict, righteous individual who takes school seriously—maybe a bit too seriously.

            Being the simple man that he is, however, Sungjin is the exact opposite. Rather than commanding attention, he is lenient towards it. Rather than standing in front, he sits in the audience, at the very back. He blends in the background, not because he intends to, but because that’s just what happens.

            Sungjin knows people don’t really remember him because there’s not much to remember about. His grades are average, his looks are average, and his personality is average, too. He doesn’t raise his hand when the teacher asks a question and if the teacher has to call someone, he isn’t the first choice. He’s just a really plain person with a really plain character—ending up becoming an afterthought or not being thought of in the first place.

            But although this sounds really sad and frankly, very worthy of pity, Sungjin isn’t actually affected by it and doesn’t really care or mind that he’s forgotten a lot. The only time he’ll probably care about it is during roll call, but other than that, Sungjin doesn’t really put much value to it. Things like this happen, sometimes, and there’s always gonna be that one person that feels more like a background character than anything. And this time, it’s Sungjin.

            Wonpil is the one who gets the most irked about it, though, ready to throw hands every time someone forgets or gets his name wrong. It actually makes him look a bit silly sometimes (and even now, Wonpil is flapping his hands around, almost hitting the classmates around him, who have their notebooks over their heads). At times, Sungjin even mentions to him off-handedly about how some of their classmates call him “the class rep’s best friend” just to see Wonpil yeet himself at the world because it’s just that funny.

            Sungjin doesn’t really mind the title of being the Class Representative’s Best Friend, even if there’s no name to precede it. Life goes on like that, and there are things more important to care about and get angry over.

            Unfortunately, seeing as Wonpil is already making Hajoon and Sanghyuk kneel in shame, there’s one person who still hasn’t realized that yet.

            “Hey, Pillie,” Sungjin says, beckoning the boy over.

            Wonpil reluctantly moves closer to him, arms crossed, and eyebrows furrowed. He sends a glare at the two peasants before turning back to Sungjin.

            “What,” he says, looking extremely annoyed.

            “Maybe you shouldn’t be so hard on those two.” Sungjin shrugs. “They asked almost everyone in the class for my name, so you can’t blame them for getting it wrong.”

            Wonpil whips his head around, absolutely livid.

            “YOU ALL GOT HIS NAME _WRONG_?” he screams, and the entire class flinches, all hoping the world would end at this exact moment, save for the four at the back.

            And Sungjin hides a smile behind a hand as Wonpil goes into another tirade, trying his best not to show his laughter.

 

“Ugh, is it _that_ hard to remember a name?” Wonpil is saying, arms still crossed as they walk their way home, already in their neighborhood. “It’s only three syllables. Miyawaki Sakura has seven syllables but everyone remembers her name!”

            “That’s because she’s representing our school in a national competition, Pillie,” Sungjin says, yawning. “She’s only twelve but she’s already famous nationwide.”

            “What—so you have to be pretty and have a good voice to make people remember you?”

            “That is exactly how the world works, Pillie.”

            Wonpil grumbles.

            “Well, I don’t like it,” he says, frowning.

            Sungjin lets out a breath of laughter as they pass by an intersection, shaking his head.

            “Come on—stop frowning,” he says, grabbing both of Wonpil’s cheeks and pinching (squeezing) them. “You’re going to get wrinkles.”

            Wonpil just glares at him beneath squished cheeks. “I’m only eighteen.”

            “And in about twenty-two years, you’ll be fourty, and you’re going to remember this day as a day of regret,” Sungjin laughs, removing his hands. “Why do you even care so much about this?”

            “ _Because_ I don’t like how people just disregard you as if you’re just some inanimate object in the background,” Wonpil says, massaging his pained cheeks with a hand. “They’re always forgetting your name, and they only know you because I’m your best friend, and remember the field trip two years ago? The bus had to go back after riding for two hours because they forgot to check your name during roll call and didn’t realize you weren’t on the bus!”

            “Oh, right, I was able to buy lots of souvenirs and took a lot of photos because of that,” Sungjin says off-handedly, recalling.

            “You were left alone in a different city six hours away from home!” Wonpil puts his hands up, unbelieving. “You could’ve died! You could’ve been _kidnapped_!”

            “I like how that implies that getting kidnapped is worse than dying.”

            Wonpil presses two palms together against his face, looking ready to kill.

            “I just hate that no one values you enough to remember you, like you gotta be something before people notice you,” he eventually says, crossing his arms again. “I mean—for example, Lee Hajoon. He’s kinder than anyone. Moon Byulyi is funnier than anyone. Kim Woosung is the band’s lead guitarist. Yoon Dowoon is the top student of our grade level and every teacher’s favorite student. And everyone remembers them because they’re the best at what they’re good at.

            “But you’re pretty cool, too! You might not be the best, but… _you’re_ kind. _You’re_ funny. _You’re_ good at playing the guitar. _You_ get good grades and all the teachers like you, too! Why do people just… why do people just forget you as if you’re not someone worth remembering? You’re amazing at so many things, and yet people can’t even do something as simple as remembering your name.”

            They turn a corner in the road as silence falls between them. Wonpil still has his arms crossed. Sungjin has his hands in his pockets.

            “You know none of that actually matters, right?” Sungjin says, turning to him.

            Wonpil rolls his eyes. “Yeah, like it doesn’t matter that a class of fourty people leaves you alone in a city where you could get kidnapped.”

            “No, I mean that none of that matters because I don’t really need anyone else to remember my name,” Sungjin says. “I only need you.”

            Wonpil jerks his head to look at Sungjin, anger turning to confusion.

            “ _You_ think I’m kind. _You_ think I’m funny. And isn’t the reason why my class found out I wasn’t on the bus because you called the class representative of my class to get me on the phone because I wasn’t replying to your texts?” Sungjin says. “I don’t need anyone else to remember my name, Pillie. You already got that down. Besides—”

            Sungjin ruffles Wonpil’s hair.

            “There _is_ something I’m the best at—being your _best_ friend.” Sungjin laughs and pats Wonpil on the head. “And frankly, Pillie, I don’t think anyone else could handle being that better than I can.”

            Sungjin puts his hand down and puts it back in his pocket, walking on.

            It’s only when he’s taken four more steps that he notices Wonpil isn’t walking next to him.

            “Pillie?” Sungjin turns back and sees the boy standing behind him, hand holding onto the strap of his sling bag. “Anything wrong?”

            “Sungjin,” Wonpil starts, “you really like being my best friend?”

            Sungjin laughs. “Sure, I do. Don’t you?” he asks, jokingly. “If you don’t wanna be my best friend anymore, you could always just ask. Though you gotta tell me why.”

            At that, Wonpil looks down for a bit and Sungjin blinks, noticing something wrong.

            “Wait—do you actually not wanna be my best friend anymore?” he asks.

            Wonpil takes a deep breath.

            “Sungjin,” Wonpil asks, looking up at him, “what if I tell you I don’t wanna be best friends anymore?”

            Sungjin stays silent, not knowing what he’s trying to say by that.

            “Sungjin, what if,” Wonpil continues, “I want to be more than your best friend?”

            At that, Sungjin lets out a relieved breath. Oh, so that’s what he meant.

            “God, you gave me a scare there. I thought you wanted to end things suddenly,” Sungjin says, walking over. “Of course, you can be more than my best friend, Pillie. You already are.”

            Wonpil widens his eyes as Sungjin reaches him. “I already am?”

            “Yeah.” Sungjin shrugs. “We’ve known each other since literally even before birth. We’re more than friends—we’re family. Funny it took you eighteen years to find out.”

            “Yeah,” Wonpil breathes. “Funny.”

            “Come on—let’s get home,” Sungjin says, beckons with a tilt of the head. “Mom’s probably already at your house. It’s our moms’ faults we even became best friends in the first place—guess they just wanted to pass down the friendship baton to the next generation, huh?”

            Sungjin laughs to himself at that. Good one, Sungjin.

            But Wonpil isn’t laughing. He’s looking down at his shoes, an unmistakable sullen look to his face.

            “Pillie?” Sungjin asks. “You okay?” God, he looks like he’s about to cry. Was it something he said?

            Instead of saying anything, however, Wonpil just puts up a hand. And Sungjin looks at him, questioning.

            “You’re saying we’re brothers, right?” Wonpil finally says. “Don’t brothers hold hands when they walk together?”

            “Are you asking me to hold your hand?” Sungjin raises an eyebrow.

            “Nothing wrong with holding the hand of your brother, right?” Wonpil says.

            Sungjin stares at him for a moment. Then, he shakes his head, laughter on his lips.

            “God, Pillie, it’s not that big of a deal to hold my hand,” Sungjin says, grabbing his. “I could hold it all the time, if you want.”

            “Would you really?”

            “Sure. Now, let’s get home before we get double-grounded again. It’s like we both got two mothers and two fathers.”

            They walk on towards home, having only a few more blocks to go. And Sungjin keeps his hand in Wonpil’s as they do, wondering why on Earth Wonpil looked like he would cry if Sungjin didn’t.

            But Sungjin figures it’s just another Wonpil thing, a Wonpil thing that only Sungjin could both handle and find endearing.

            After all, he is the best at being his best friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER NOTES  
> \- i actually winged this chapter tbh hajkdaskha i mean, i had the overall theme going on around how sungjin isnt rly known to be other than the class rep's bff; this was actually supposed to be a chapter showing sungjin's personality or at least how other ppl perceive him. hes basically a plain person (but def not to wonpil)  
> \- also yes i forgot to post this on the right time
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	24. Kang Younghyun and Yoon Dowoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Kang Younghyun and Yoon Dowoon, in the way they both see it.

Younghyun's late. That's not something you see every day.

            Dowoon stands outside of his house by the gate, occasionally looking back at the side of the road Younghyun would usually enter. It's already around 7:30, which to people without on-a-weird-natural-time-schedule boyfriends wouldn't be all that weird since he still has thirty minutes left before getting to school, which is a 15-minute walk away.

            But Dowoon _is_ a person with an on-a-weird-natural-time-schedule boyfriend who always— _always_ —arrives at his house at exactly 6:58 AM (yeah, Dowoon doesn't know how  he does it—and so consistently, too), so you can't really blame Dowoon for forcing up the courage to walk out of his house and expose himself to the dangers of the world when the wall clock immediately hit 6:59.

            Dowoon checks his phone and sighs when he sees there's still no text from him. Not even an emoji or a meme from two years ago. Younghyun always sends him a text every morning from the moment he wakes up, but today, there isn't even a single "what a beautiful morning, tho i think youre even more beautiful :)", only the "sweet dreams, dowoon! tho youre much sweeter :)" from yesterday present in the chatroom.

 _I wonder what's holding him up so much_ , Dowoon thinks as he looks up at the sky, a light blue, nothing else to do.

            He knows much about Younghyun's daily routine after sleeping and waking up with him so many times. He knows the guy's natural body clock makes him rise up from the dead at around 5 in the morning, and that he usually stretches up before getting off the bed. After that, he does a simple warm-up exercise by the side of his bed before leaving his room to wash up.

            If he was the first to wake up, he'd be the one in charge of breakfast that day, as per the house rules in the Kang-Song household. And usually, it'd be something simple but really, really delicious. He'd told Dowoon before that sometimes he'd just mix in whatever it is they have in the fridge that day, no recipe whatsoever, which still boggles Dowoon a lot because he has to keep a recipe with him at all times lest another Case of the Cookies come into light.

            While he's cooking, the smell spreads out across the tiny apartment, and Dowoon is always woken up by it if Younghyun decided not to wake him up prior "because you were just the cutest lil bub in the world".

            He remembers a time when Younghyun was frying some beef on a pan, and Dowoon had left his room to walk over. It was a Sunday and Younghyun's parents were visiting some relatives, so it was just them alone at the time. Dowoon, half-asleep, had wrapped his arms around Younghyun's torso and leaned his chin on the crook of his neck, no greeting or whatever. Younghyun was so surprised he almost pushed all the beef out of the pan. Luckily, he recovered quickly, pressed a kiss on Dowoon's forehead, let him have a taste of the beef, and morning proceeded as usual. (As usual as it could with a constant burning in Dowoon's cheeks as he finally came to, but that never happened.)

            After breakfast, Younghyun would usually go to his room to change into his uniform. And no, Dowoon does not peek at him or at his really toned body or at his slightly tanned skin that he assumes is because he walks under the sun a lot or at the way his back muscles move when he takes his shirt off. And he does not turn away with a really burning face before Younghyun could catch him because he is a civilized, humane human being with anime and God on his side—can we make that clear? Yes? Yes. Moving on.

            After he's finished changing, if Dowoon wasn't already there with him, he'd put on his bag, already ready with everything he needs for the day (Dowoon had told him to do that the first time he found out that Younghyun only started to check on his things on the actual school day itself, for shame) and leave the house. But never without a "Mom, Dad, I'm leaving! Love you!" and a kiss to both their cheeks.

            It's that side to Younghyun that Dowoon really appreciates. How he isn't embarrassed to tell his parents he loves them and is always so loving towards them. From what Dowoon's seen from his classmates, they're always complaining about their own parents and wishing they could graduate already so they could finally get off of their case. But not Younghyun.

            Maybe it's because Younghyun's parents themselves are just as loving towards him. They're one of the kindest, most compassionate, and most cheerful people he's ever met—rare finds that most kids could only wish for. To have them as parents. To wish their parents were like that, too. And their kindness and good hearts had been passed down on to their son, as well. If only every family were like that, too.

            Younghyun lives in the center part of the city, like Jaehyung. While Dowoon also lives near the center, his house is still somewhat by the edge so Younghyun has to walk an extra twenty minutes to get to him. Sometimes, Dowoon wonders if he could be the one to walk Younghyun for change, since logic states that the both of them would be saving up a lot of time if he did.

            But Younghyun—oh, Younghyun—is literally the sappiest human being in the world and told him that he didn't mind having to walk a longer way to school because then he’d have more time to spend the morning just walking and talking with him. Sigh. And Dowoon was too in lo—like with him to refute.

            And then, when Younghyun reaches Dowoon's house, he presses the doorbell (only once now because they've finally gotten over the beginning budding stages of their relationship) and waits for Dowoon to appear at the balcony before waving up at him. Then, he waits for him to come down. Then, he waits for him to pass through the gate. Then, he smiles at him and greets him good morning and they walk to school, Younghyun always grabbing his hand and never noticing.

            But today, Younghyun's deviated from that routine and Dowoon's already by the gate before there's someone to kiss him on the forehead.

            Dowoon keeps staring up at the sky above him, phone in his hand and eyes on the sun. It's shining really brightly today, though the coldness floating in the air tries its best to balance it out. He checks—it's already 7:48.

            Dowoon lets out another sigh. He knows it's probably not something serious. Younghyun probably stayed up late at night to review a topic and wasn't able to hear his alarm because he was too deep into his sleep.

            But, god, now he has a better understanding of every time Younghyun tells him, "I just hate not being around you."

            Because, god, he really does.

 

 _Frick-ass fricking frick-frick of a frick-frick fricking frick_. Younghyun is _late_. And that is _not_ something you see every day.

            He had bolted out of his house the moment his parents finally let him leave the dining table after having his last bites of kimchi rice. He had choked on it probably a billion times in his haste but at least he's alive and at least he's sprinting across the city to get to the love of his life. Even though his legs are killing him. So, so badly.

            He had stayed up last night to review the Math topics on annuities and all that investment junk because he still had no idea why Present values are called "Present" values when all of the word problems talked about the past, but whatever—long story short: he wasn't able to wake up from his alarm, his parents forced him to the table so he'd be able to eat something before leaving (god bless their souls), he choked on his food, tripped three times on the way out the door, and now he's sprinting across the city to get to the love of his life.

            Trying to distract himself from how loud his legs are screaming at him, he does the one thing he does best: he thinks of Dowoon. And wonders what he's been doing for the probably-thirty minutes he's been gone.

            He knows that Dowoon is the deepest sleeper in the entire world and can't be woken by any alarm, no matter how loud, and that he needs someone to wake him up or make a call. That person would almost always be Younghyun and occasionally Dowoon's mom, if she had somehow woken him up before Younghyun did (a miracle) via either call or shaking his shoulders a bit. It's a wonder how Dowoon never got late to class before Younghyun met him.

            Even after waking him up, though, he always takes a solid five minutes away from time to just sit up in bed and try to process the world around him—that is, if he doesn't fall asleep again—with his hair a mess and always a slight tint to his cheeks. It's something that Younghyun finds endearing, makes him wanna press two kisses on both of his bloated cheeks and tell him he can sleep a few more minutes. If it's a weekend, he almost always gives in. If it's a weekday, it's always such a struggle. (Such a struggle.)

            Even with Younghyun there to remind him that the top student in their year level has academic responsibilities, Dowoon always has to drag himself out of bed to get anywhere: to the bathroom to take a shower, back to his room to change into his uniform, out his room and lounge to get some breakfast. If Younghyun is there, he's already cooked something up for the both of them and his mom. If he isn't, Dowoon's mom's already done it. And from what Dowoon told him before, before his mom came back, he only ever ate what she used to order for take-out.

            Younghyun would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about how Dowoon depends a lot of this sort of stuff on others. He himself learned from both his parents that you had to learn to take care of yourself before you could take care of others. They had taught him to all that "adult stuff" from a very young age, so it seemed less of a chore and more of a habit to him, which he is extremely grateful for. He knows why he has to learn how to cook, how to wash the dishes, how to wash his clothes (with and without a washing machine, mind you), how to do taxes, and all that jazz—which is why he doesn't complain much. Sometimes, it is a hassle, but when his parents and Dfowoon are involved, it becomes less so.

            So Younghyun hopes to teach Dowoon some of this stuff, too. Younghyun may suck at memorizing all eight characteristics of life but if this world were to fall under an apocalypse rising, he wants to make sure none of the people he cares about are the first to go down. Which is why whenever he cooks Dowoon something, he calls him over to have a taste and check if it's ready for eating yet. Whenever he sweeps up the floor, he asks Dowoon to check if there are any spaces he left. As much as possible, Younghyun wants to make sure Dowoon knows how to survive on his own. Teach him the things his parents taught him, too. And be with him while he learns.

            Not that that's much a problem with Dowoon, no. The boy is always constantly asking Younghyun how he does these things—always looking so adorably shook every time, too—and the way his eyes light up when Younghyun tells him he did good will always send one of Cupid's arrows shooting straight at his chest. He loves that part of Dowoon: the part that gets so excited to learn and discover something new. Even though he tries his best to dim it down as much as he can—self-conscious and tsundere as he is—Younghyun can always see the wide smile he tries to hide behind the forced thin line his lips form. And he can always make it appear naturally when he leans in to kiss it.

            Anyway, where was he? Dowoon, Dowoon, Dowoon... oh, right, Dowoon. And preparing for school.

            So, after eating breakfast, if Younghyun wasn't already there with him, Dowoon would always go back up his room to wait for him by the balcony. Younghyun isn't entirely sure why Dowoon does that, taking more steps than usual when he could literally just wait for Younghyun in his living room, (it was even he who told Younghyun it was impractical of him to walk an extra twenty minutes just to walk him to school) but Younghyun can't deny the way his heart smiles at seeing Dowoon wave back down at him, a tiny radio-like greeting coming from before the doorbell, before going back down to finally see him face-to-face. Reminds him of a certain fairytale, really, though he can't remember which one.

            Looking in front of him now, Younghyun's mind goes back to sprinting as the familiar roads and sets of houses come into view. He turns a left, and then a left, and then a right—

            And sees a beautiful garden right in front of him.

            When he sees it, his world lights up. When he sees it, he runs even faster. When he sees him, his first instinct is to be as close to him as possible.

            So, Younghyun, being a very normal human being, headbutts Dowoon in the gut and tackles him to the ground.

            "OW! What the—" Dowoon looks up at Younghyun from the ground, lifting himself up on his elbows, eyes widening. "Younghyun, what the he—"

"AaahI'msorryI'mlateIstayeduplastnighttoreviewforthetesttodayandIwasn'tabletowakeupfrommyalarmandmomhadtowakemeupmultipletimesandIdidn'trealizeitwASALREADY7:24andthenIhadtocookbreakfastbutthendadsaidhe'ddoitinsteadsoIhadtositstillforagoodtenminuteswhilewaitingandIwasdebatingifIshouldgotoyoualreadyorifIshouldrespectmyparentsandwaitproperlylikeagoodchildbutbeforeIknewitthefoodwaslareadyfinishedsoItriedtoeatitallatonegobutthenIswallowedtosoonandalmostchokedwhichwasgrossbutIsurvivedbutthen—"

            Suddenly, Younghyun's words get cut off as a pair of hands squishes his cheeks and presses them together.

            "Younghyun," Dowoon starts, "calm the heck down. It's okay."

            "But—"

            "It's. O. Kay."

            Younghyun's lips are out like a goldfish's, so his "okay" comes out a bit indecipherable but Dowoon's sigh after says that he understood well enough.

            Dowoon removes his hands and Younghyun helps him up on his feet, getting up from the ground as well. He brushes the dirt off Dowoon's clothes with a hand and when he's sure there's no more dust, turns to him.

            "Sorry I tackled you to the ground," Younghyun says.

            "Seriously, what were you thinking?" Dowoon brushes off the dirt on Younghyun's arms. "And don't say you were thinking of m—"

            "I was thinking of you."

            Dowoon lets out a loud sigh and rolls his eyes, but lets a smile appear on his face.

            He flicks Younghyun on the forehead. "If you're gonna get hurt because of me, I'd rather just break up with you."

            "Woah, real talk right there." Younghyun rubs at his forehead. "Would you really break up with me if that happens?"

            At that, Dowoon pauses for a bit, thinking about it.

            Then, he grabs both Younghyun's hands, stands on the tips of his toes, and places a kiss on Younghyun's forehead.

            "I'll make sure you never get hurt so I won't even have to consider that," Dowoon whispers.

            Younghyun feels the corners of his lips turn up at that and a wave of warmth washing over his neck. He isn't sure, but he feels like Dowoon's been a lot more affectionate nowadays. A lot less looking to the side to not see the smile on his face. And a lot less embarrassed splutters, too. And a lot more of things like this.

            "We should be careful going to school, then." Younghyun presses a kiss on Dowoon's forehead. "I don't want you hurt either. Slower steps, maybe."

            "That would be nice," Dowoon agrees. "Except class already started twelve minutes ago." He pulls up his watch for Younghyun to see.

            He widens his eyes.

            "Oh, shoot—frick being careful! Let's go!"

            And so Younghyun takes Dowoon's hand, pulling him and running with him, and hearing laughter play in the air with every step and turn. It reminds him of a certain night. One he loves to be reminded of over and over and over again.

 

Dowoon glances only once before turning back to his book.

            "Younghyun, that's unsanitary; you’re getting dirt all over you," Dowoon says, flipping a page of his book.

            The boy merely opens a single eye, looking up at Dowoon from where he lies on the concrete ground.

            "What are you going to do—lick me off?" Younghyun asks jokingly, almost laughing.

            Dowoon really wishes Younghyun didn't word it like that because now a certain visual is coming up in Dowoon's mind and he can already feel the heat oven up his entire face.

            "You're getting red." Both of Younghyun's eyes are open now and he uses both of them to blink up at Dowoon. "Was it something I said? Are you sick?"

            Dowoon glances away, feeling a figurative sweat trickle down his forehead. One more second of him looking at Younghyun's body at this angle and he's going to lose it.

            "No, it's just—" Dowoon clears his throat. "I'm a growing boy."

            Younghyun blinks up at him for a while, looking like he doesn't get it, but he shrugs and closes his eyes anyway. Dowoon stifles the breath of relief that threatened to slip from his lips. Thank god Jieun and Jaehyung don't hang out with them on the rooftop or else Dowoon is dead meat. Dead meat, I tell you. _Dead_.

            They had arrived at the classroom during second period, making their class representative gasp, scandalized. Usually, they'd already be at class thirty minutes prior, but Younghyun tackled him to the ground very romantically, so they didn't really have a choice.

            The morning had passed by quickly, each teacher coming in to teach their subjects to the best they can, and Jaehyung there by the window trying not to doze off to the best that he can. Every break between each period, Younghyun would always turn to Dowoon to ask about some things he didn't understand and Dowoon would always tell him what he needed to know.

            Sometimes, Younghyun would just grab his attention to tell him, "You look cute today," and Dowoon would stare at him deadpan. Morning as usual.

            Then noon arrives and, if Jieun and Jaehyung don't invite the two of them to go somewhere (usually either Nichkhun's ice cream stand or Café Noona's Noona Café), Younghyun and Dowoon go up to the school rooftop to eat their lunch. It had been a thing of theirs since the day Dowoon went to school with Younghyun for the first time. He remembers Younghyun telling him to eat with him, Dowoon saying, "Stop pestering me," Younghyun grabbing his hand anyway, and Dowoon too surprised at the fact that Younghyun was holding his hand again to properly protest.

            They don't really do much on the rooftop, except eat, review some lessons, and talk about anything. They do kiss sometimes (which is usually on Dowoon's part because, despite being the "tsundere" Younghyun keeps calling him, he actually has little to zero impulse control if they're completely alone together) but other than that, it's all just regular, everyday stuff.

            In the school handbook, it's actually stated very clearly that the rooftop is forbidden to be entered by students (one of the reasons being the same reason why Dowoon blushed earlier) and that punishments go from a simple warning to a week of suspension. With that in mind, Dowoon would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about Younghyun. He wasn't lying back then when he said that only Younghyun will be punished—he's well-aware of how the teachers favor him and how much they disfavor Younghyun. It's one of the few things that frustrates Dowoon as someone who wants to a teacher—shouldn't teachers treat their students with care? With fairness? And justice?

            But no matter what Dowoon thinks, he's still a student. And he can't convince a teacher until he becomes one, too. Which is why he's always just a tiny bit scared that a teacher would suddenly take the rooftop rule thing seriously and punish Younghyun. He doesn't want that for him. Not him.

            But every time Younghyun takes his first step onto the concrete grounds of the rooftop, a specific smile comes up his face. One that people use when they spread their arms and turn in place, in their own world. One that people use when they get back to their hometown after being out of the country for years. One that people use when they have their first taste of freedom after being caged in for so long. A smile that screams, "I'm here. And I'm free."

            Dowoon loves seeing that smile on Younghyun's face. It makes him wonder why Younghyun loves being here so much. He wants to know. Know everything about him. Everything.

            Looking at Younghyun now and the way he's lying down on the rooftop, Dowoon really, really wants to know.

            "Hey, Y—"

            "Dowoon, why do Jieun and Jaehyung keep asking us about top or bottom?"

            Dowoon promptly freezes, feeling a cold sweat coming over him. Younghyun is looking at the sky with furrowed eyebrows.

            "Are bunk beds that popular with the youth nowadays?" he asks and the way he does lets Dowoon know he's not joking. "Personally, I think I'll like to be on top, but I feel like you would, too, so I'd probably choose bottom."

            Wait, he—this entire time, he—he thought they were referring to _bunk beds_?

            "Y—" Dowoon almost chokes. "You know that if you let others be the top, you're probably a bottom, right?"

            "So, I'm a bottom?" Younghyun asks.

 _I cannot believe we are having this conversation. I cannot believe it one bit._ "A-anyway, it's not that important. If the two of them ask you again, just tell them it's none of their business, 'kay?"

            "God, people must take their bunk beds seriously," Younghyun mutters under his breath, closing his eyes again. "The youth nowadays."

            Dowoon just shakes his head at that, a small smile on his face. Well, whatever. They've got all the time in the world.

 

Sunset comes quickly, the remaining classes of the day passing by in a blur. It's Friday today so Younghyun doesn't have any band practice, and Areum doesn't have any shifts today either, so neither Jaehyung nor Jieun invited them to go to the cafe. The walk home was peaceful, both Younghyun and Dowoon holding hands as they usually do—one could probably say that if they've never seen the both of them hold hands at least once every four hours or so, then either the two of them have (finally) fought or that isn't them.

            But today neither of those are true, and the both of them reached Dowoon's house just as the sun started to dip down from the horizon. His mother was there to greet the both of them, telling them that it would probably be another thirty minutes before they could have dinner. That meant that the food will probably be ready in an hour and a half, give or take.

            Younghyun had offered to help her cook, but Dowoon already had one thing on his mind. He pulled Younghyun up the stairs before the boy could protest, pulled him in his room, pushed him on the bed, and kissed him before he even had time to ask why.

            Younghyun had frozen for a bit, surprised and taken aback, but eventually he melted into Dowoon's touch and placed a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer and Dowoon complying immediately.

            And now, they stay lying on the bed for god knows how long (still well within the hour and thirty minutes though), Dowoon still peppering Younghyun's face with about a dozen kisses as he lies between his knees, Younghyun receiving each kiss as if it's new every time. It's moments like this that the both of them want to keep in the palm of their hand, a precious memory they hope to extend for as long as forever. Moments where it's just the two of them and no one else. They don't need anything else. They don't need anything. Just the two of them. Together. In the moment.

            Eventually, Dowoon pulls away slowly, though he catches the chasing kisses Younghyun sends his way. Eventually, he just stares at Younghyun, roses blooming on his cheeks. And Younghyun does the same, stardust powdered on his.

            "You know, you're a really good kisser," Dowoon says, crossing his arms over Younghyun's chest and leaning his chin on them. "Like, really good."

            Younghyun laughs at that, fingers loosely playing with the strands of Dowoon's hair. "I like how that's the first thing you say after kissing me senseless without even telling me why." Younghyun smiles at him. "Care to explain why?"

            Dowoon hums in response, poking Younghyun's cheek. "I just really wanted to kiss you. I mean, I always do."

            "Really," Younghyun drawls out, almost challenging. "How often do you think of kissing me, exactly?"

            "All the time." Dowoon boops Younghyun's nose. "Contrary to popular opinion, I am just as whipped for you as you are for me."

            At that, Younghyun raises both his eyebrows and parts his lips, blinking at Dowoon in surprise.

            "You..." Younghyun starts. "You really have been more affectionate lately. I thought I was imagining it." He pauses. "Did something happen?"

            Dowoon just smiles at him. "No," he says. "Nothing happened."

            Younghyun just stares back at him, eyebrows furrowed as if he doesn't believe it. Or as if he can't wrap his head around it. And Dowoon just keeps smiling at him, leaning against his chest as if there's nothing more interesting in the world except the boy in front of him.

            "You're really unpredictable," Younghyun says, feeling a grin come up his face. "You know that?"

            Dowoon grins back. "I assume that's a good thing?"

            "It's always good if it's you."

            Dowoon grins even wider at that, and even when he buries his face in Younghyun's chest, finally letting the embarrassment kick in, his smile doesn't falter. His smile never falters when it's Younghyun he's staring at.

            Ten minutes later, Dowoon's mother calls for the both of them to come down and eat dinner. They do, and they help wash the dishes, and they wash up and change out of their uniform, and they lie in bed next to each other. They fall asleep next to each other. They've already fallen in love with each other.

            And the day ends just a little different than usual. They think about each other so much they don't even need a narrator to narrate each other's lives. And perhaps, no one could do a better job of telling their story than they themselves.

            Today, they fall asleep a little bit more in love than usual. Tomorrow, that love will grow even bigger.

            And so ends a day in the life of Kang Younghyun and Yoon Dowoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES  
> \- (03/04/2019) alright so i just reread the entire thing and i have come to the conclusion that it was my insecurity speaking to me. AGAIN. dear god why  
>  ~~\- ... let me be honest with you: i think this is a pretty sucky chapter. idk but the flow doesnt feel right, and the words seem too wordy, and tbh i had planned on removing this because it felt too extra, but i needed a chapter to basically transition or establish briwoon's current dynamic + fill in the "a day in the life of" quota. ill definitely look back on a later date to edit some stuff here, but def only AFTER i finish the remaining 18 chapters of wsly.~~  
>  \- if you have any feedback... pls be gentle ㅠㅠ im not actually good at handling negative criticism well, altho i understand the importance of it. so if you have such, i hope it isnt too much to ask for not just the negative part of the chapter, but also what i can do to improve on it!! (thank you ㅠㅠ)  
> \- on a diff note, this chapter was supposed to basically show briwoon's daily routine and show how majority of their time is revolved around each other (the married couple that they are) and also establish their current dynamic :D  
> \- also i posted this chapter in advance as an apology for not posting the previous one on time ㅠㅠ
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments (there's honestly so much)!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> thank you for reading this tiny thing of mine, and i hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	25. Kim Jieun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Kim Jieun.

If there is one thing you must know about Kim Jieun, it is that when she wants something, she will get it, no matter what. And if not, be warned. Because all hell will break loose until she gets it, and you’ll be wishing she did. Because that’s just the kind of person she is.

            It’s Saturday today, and Kim Jieun is currently practicing that part of who she is by making her wonderful, most-prized best friend clean her entire room for her.

            “A- _choo_!” Jaehyung sneezes, holding up the duster above and away from him to avoid the dust but inadvertently sending them all down on him.

            “Ugh,” he says, scratching his nose and putting the duster down. He looks down from where he’s standing on a chair to reach the top of the bookshelf at the girl half-lying peacefully on her clean, dust-free shelf. She’s on her phone yet again.

            “Ji, why do I have to clean your room again?” Jaehyung complains, almost whining. “It’s not the 16th of the month yet.”

            “It’s because Grandmother is fed up with you coming over whenever you please,” Jieun says, scrolling down her phone as if it’s the morning paper. “Don’t worry, though; as I am ever-merciful, I’m counting this day as partial progress for paying that debt you owe me. Though you still have to clean on the 16th.”

            “Ugh, I regret ever getting into sandpaper,” Jaehyung grumbles, turning back to his work.

            Truth be told, Grandmother didn’t actually need to have Jaehyung clean up Jieun’s room; all she wanted was for him to at least help with washing the dishes whenever he ate with them. But Jieun isn’t Jieun if she isn’t the least bit devious, and so her Saturday of today starts this way.

            A sudden _ping!_ sounds from her phone and Jieun’s eyes light up brightly, a smile appearing on her face. She goes to check on the message as soon as it appeared.

Mina-yah ♡  
good morning, unnie! ^^ how is your day so far?  10:19

Ji-ji  
good morning, cutiepie! It’s been p ok so far, but now it’s a lot better  10:20

Mina-yah ♡  
oh, that’s good!! Did something happen?  10:20

Ji-ji  
yeap, you did  10:21

            The left side of the chat is just a bubble containing a reappearing set of ellipses and Jieun finds a smile creeping up her face. God, Mina is so cute.

            “You’re smiling,” Jaehyung points out.

            “Yeah, well, I’ve had to endure Younghyun pining over Dowoon and you pining over Areum-unnie, so I think it’s fair for it to be my turn this time to smile at my phone and ignore everyone else around me,” Jieun says, smiling.

            Jieun can see in her peripheral vision Jaehyung getting down from the chair, probably while rolling his eyes, too (the sass man), before sitting next to her and making the bed tilt.

            “ _How_ long have you guys been talking to each other?” Jaehyung asks, looking over at her phone.

            “It was just about two weeks before you and unnie became unofficial,” Jieun says, watching as Mina sends a flustered flurry of messages that all go along the lines of “asdfghjkl”. “She was sitting behind us and I went to say hi.”

            “You didn’t try to scare her, did you,” Jaehyung says. “Because you know how we talked about how scaring people is not a good way to greet them.”

            “I may have gotten a punch in the gut because of that, yes.”

            Jaehyung runs a hand down his face. “It’s a miracle she doesn’t hate you.”

Mina-yah ♡  
um, anyway, unnie!! Its nothing important but are you going out to eat lunch somewhere today? :)  10:22

Ji-ji  
no, I was just going to eat lunch at home, why?  10:22

Mina-yah ♡  
nothing!!! I was just curious hehehe  10:23

            “She wants to ask you out for lunch,” Jaehyung says.

            “I know she does—god, she is so adorable,” Jieun says.

Ji-ji  
well, I could always change my plans for you, if u wanna hang out ♡  10:23

Mina-yah ♡  
really??  10:24  
not that I was planning on asking you out for lunch or anything!!! I rly was just curious, unnie ahahahaha  10:24

            “Sure, Mina,” Jaehyung says.

            “Sure, Mina,” Jieun says, too.

Ji-ji  
well, where do u wanna go to? We could go anywhere you want ♡  10:25

Mina-yah ♡  
oh, um, I don’t know!! I don’t rly know many places…  10:25  
ah, unnie, I just remembered… my parents are gonna come over today so we cant go out to eat :(  10:26

            “Aw,” Jaehyung and Jieun say, disappointed.

Mina-yah ♡  
sorry, unnie!!!!!! I rly am ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ  10:26

Ji-ji  
that’s alright, sweetiepie ♡ maybe next time?  10:27

Mina-yah ♡  
okay, unnie!! Next time, then ^^  10:27  
I have to go now, unnie!! Stay safe and always take care of yourself!! Love you!!  10:28  
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh pls delete that last part I got used to sayingg thay to my mome and dad im sory aahhhhhh  10:28

Ji-ji  
hmmmm, maybe not ♡  10:29

Mina-yah ♡  
ahskshsl  10:29

            Jieun and Mina eventually say goodbye and Jieun puts down her phone on her lap, smile ever-permanent on her face.

            “Who knew that the girl I used to have a crush on would end up being your love interest?” Jaehyung says, lying down on Jieun’s bed, head by the foot of it. “Looks like you actually finally pulled through with stealing one from me this time.”

            “Yeah, she’s adorabl—wait, what do you mean by ‘stealing’?”

            “Uh, I mean, how you always end up stealing every girl I ever get a crush on?” Jaehyung says, as if Jieun is stupid for not knowing. “The pattern is always like this: (1) I get a crush on a girl, (2) I either ask you to talk to her for me or you do it regardless, (3) you say something that has them falling for you and not me, (4) they end up falling for you and not me, and (5) you end up with a love letter in your locker, never addressed to me.”

            Jieun blinks.

            “That happens?” she asks.

            Another thing that you must know about Kim Jieun is that she is often unaware of the kind of damage she does. Unless intentional, such as in instances where she is actually trying to wreak havoc around her for the sake of her own benefit, Kim Jieun tends to make choices that often bring about negative (though non-fatal) consequences to the people around her. Specifically, to Park Jaehyung. Usually, only to Park Jaehyung.

            “It’s been happening since I realized that I liked girls—how have you not noticed?” Jaehyung sits up at that, looking at Jieun in disbelief.

             “I don’t know—I just say whatever’s on my mind when I see a girl; what’s so wrong with that?” Jieun protests.

            “It’s _wrong_ and, frankly, counterproductive when you’re trying to get your best friend a date!” Jaehyung exclaims.

            “It’s not my fault every girl around me is so pretty!”

            “That doesn’t mean you can just flirt with every girl around you!”

            “I try, man, but I can’t help it! For some reason, I can’t stop myself from complimenting people!”

            “Well, when you and Mina start dating, that might actually turn into a real problem, you know that?”

            At that, Jieun stops herself short, silent. And Jaehyung sees that—Jieun knows he sees that—and he flops back down on the bed, tired both from cleaning and this.

            “How… often… do I flirt with girls around me again?” Jieun asks.

            “Literally every time you meet one,” Jaehyung says, grabbing Jieun’s phone and unlocking it. He immediately goes over to play a game starring a cat painter who’s most likely going through a rough time in his life. “The only person you haven’t flirted with is Areum-noona, and that’s because you two have never actually held a conversation between just the two of you before. Frankly, I am not letting that happen ever.”

            “Don’t worry, Jae. We’ve got Rule Number Fourty-One for that.”

            “It’s a miracle we can actually use that rule now.”

            Jieun lets out a sigh, leaning her head against the headboard and looking up at the ceiling. The kind of lights they have are shaped like rings, embedded into the wood. There are about three of them in her room, in a line.

            “Hey, Jae,” she starts, “do you think… do you really think Mina and I could actually start dating?”

            Because there’s one more thing you must know about Kim Jieun, and it is when it comes to love, she is everything people think her not to be. Kim Jieun is smart. Kim Jieun is confident. Kim Jieun doesn’t make mistakes. Kim Jieun is dignified. Kim Jieun is calm, collected, secure.

            But when it comes to love, Kim Jieun is stupid, unconfident, full of flaws, scared, frenzied, panicky, and insecure—all at once.

            And very few people know this. Very few people know this because there are only very few people Kim Jieun likes to keep very, very close to her heart. Because she is strong and she can protect herself from every harm in the world.

            But when someone stands so close to your heart, there’s nothing you can do to avoid the pain that comes with a knife straight at it. No matter how strong you are.

            But that is why Jieun is best friends with Park Jaehyung, she supposes. Their friendship started with a fight and continued on until they grew up and older, fighting all the way.

            Because if someone argues with you so much and for so long, and yet not once tries to hurt you, how can they be anything but true?

            “Of course, I do,” Jaehyung says with a shrug, the sad wails of a cat coming from Jieun’s phone as he does. “I wouldn’t suggest that if I didn’t think it could happen, doofus.”

            Jieun lets a tiny smile pull up her face, grateful for him.

            Which is why she kicks him off her bed, sending him down on the floor.

            “Ji, what the hell?” Jaehyung says, scrambling to get on his feet. He checks Jieun’s phone. “Ugh, I accidentally switched the leaf with the lightbulb! Now, I’ve got no more moves!”

            “You still have the back of my desk to think about,” Jieun says simply, shrugging.

            “Ugh, curse you, sandpaper!” Jaehyung groans, putting the phone down and going over to grab Jieun’s desk.

            As the hour of the day reaches noon, you might think Kim Jieun is being really unreasonable right now, but that is why there is one last thing you must know about her: that with every single devious thing she does, it is never without something good happening behind the scenes.

            For she makes sure to take fifty days off of the two-hundred Jaehyung still has left to pay for his debt for the sole reason that he is a good friend.

            Kim Jieun is a tough puzzle to solve, and if you had known her without the aid of narration, you might have even questioned her entire existence. For her entire being is built on irony, an ambiguous set of morals, and deviousness no man has ever seen before.

            But that’s what makes her an interesting character, I suppose. A good story always has good conflict, and what could be better than a character the exact embodiment of that?

            And so ends the day of Kim Jieun, literally only an hour of it, but that’s because there are many things about her that she’d rather keep to herself. Things that you don’t need to know about her.

            Which is a good thing, I promise you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- my beta told me this was an overall A+ chapter and i can never be happier :')
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and reviewing over it so well!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	26. Areum's promotion to manager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyung asks Jieun, Younghyun, and Dowoon to help plan a surprise party to celebrate Areum's promotion to manager. Unfortunately, it seems someone else has other plans.

_THUD!_

            Jaehyung promptly slams his palms face-down on the table, looking at the three people in front of him.

            “Alright, let’s get down to business,” Jaehyung prompts, eyes comically serious. “We are gathered here today because—”

            “Finals are coming and I’m at risk of failing Math because I suck at it and now I’m going to have a breakdown in the bathroom because the stress overwhelmed me to the point that I cried?” Younghyun guesses, looking scared.

            “What? No.” Jaehyung looks at him, weirdly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and, frankly, concern. “Exams were literally three months ago and you passed with flying colors—you even lifted Dowoon up and spun him around when you found out (and I remember that well because you almost hit me). Where did you even get that idea?”

            “N… nowhere,” Younghyun says, voice small. Dowoon looks at him once before scooting his chair just a tad bit closer to him.

            Jaehyung shakes his head a little. “Anyway, we are gathered here today because I needed you all t—”

            A sudden giggle interrupts Jaehyung and the three of them turn to Jieun, who’s sitting next to them. She’s staring down at her phone with a smile on her face and laughter on her lips as she types something down, hearts plastered over her eyes.

            “A- _hem_ ,” Jaehyung clears his throat rather loudly and with an annoyed expression, and Jieun looks up, though still with a stress-free smile on her face.

            “Huh? Oh, right.” Jieun sends a final text before putting down her phone. “Sorry I wasn’t paying attention—I didn’t want to listen,” she says, rather bluntly.

            “Were you talking to that girl you were talking about the other day?” Dowoon asks.

            “Yeah, Mina’s the sweetest girl in the entire universe,” Jieun giggles.

            Younghyun furrows his eyebrows. “Isn’t she the same girl who punched you in the stomach about three weeks ago?”

            “Did I stutter?”

            “What is the relevance of that statement?”

            “You guys!” Jaehyung half-yells, waving his hands around. “Ugh, we are gathered here today for a very important reason! One, specifically, that has to be made sure to be kept from Areum-noona at all costs—”

            “Kind of counterproductive to keep something from Café Noona when we’re seated literally in the café she’s working at, don’t you think?” Dowoon says, with a raised hand.

            They’re currently seated in the middle of Beauteaful, the afternoon light coming in through the windo—

            “ _No_!” Jaehyung interrupts, pointing a very angry finger above him. “We are _not_ interrupting my announcement with a descriptive narration meant to add more pacing to the story!”

            “What is he talking about?” Younghyun asks, leaning a bit closer to Jieun.

            “I don’t know—I thought I was the only one here allowed to break the fourth wall,” Jieun replies, leaning back and earning an even more confused look from Younghyun.

            “ANYWAY!” Jaehyung yells, finally (finally), _finally_ earning the attention of his most trusted, and beloved friends. He takes a deep breath, and then continues in a calm voice, “We are gathered here today because I wanted to ask you guys if you could do me a fav—”

            “Here are your orders, sirs and madam!” a waiter comes by their table. “A tiramisu, a green tea cake, chocolate mousse, and three glasses of banana milkshake.”

            Silence falls between the four (five) of them, adding a coldness to the air around them. Younghyun awkwardly thanks the waiter and receives the order, passing them around to the respective people.

            “Go on, Jaehyung,” Jieun says, patting him on the back.

            “We’re all ears,” Dowoon says, with an encouraging nod.

            “Here’s your tiramisu,” Younghyun says, pushing the plate gently towards him. “I heard it’s really good.”

            Jaehyung lets out a long, long sigh.

            “We,” Jaehyung starts, “are gathered. Here. Today. Because I wanted to ask you guys a favor. Concerning Areum-noona’s promotion to manager.”

            Jieun bites down the urge to say, “Oh my god; that’s the title of this chapter.”

            “Oh, really?” Younghyun asks, looking pleasantly surprised. “That’s good news. How’s she going to celebrate?”

            “That’s the thing—she isn’t,” Jaehyung says. “I asked her about it the other day, and she told me she was going to be a bit busy, so she wasn’t able to plan anything for herself.”

            “Ahh,” Jieun says, starting to get it. “So, then, the reason why you invited us over…”

            “… is so that we could help you plan a party for Café Noona?” Dowoon continues.

            “YES, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I’VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!” Jaehyung actually yells, shooting up from his sit and punch a fist into the air, triumphant.

            He sits back down and fixes the fallen-down chair after he notices people staring.

            “Anyway,” he awkwardly coughs, “I just thought that she deserves this sort of thing, you know? She’s just so passionate about her work and she’s always doing her best in everything she does. And, you know, everyone loves her! She’s a literal angel. I mea—I mean, look at her!”

            He gestures to the counter and they all turn to where Areum is currently serving a very grumpy-looking old man.

            “Here is your order, Mr. Boo!” she says, handing over a paper bag. “I heard your anniversary is coming soon. Any plans to celebrate with Mrs. Boo?”

            “I’d rather sleep in a coffin and find myself dead the next day,” Mr. Boo replies, face colored in gray, empty unhappiness.

            “A prepared planner!” Areum comments, smiling sweetly. “It’s no wonder Mrs. Boo said yes.”

            “It’s a wonder you’re still talking to me at all,” Mr. Boo says, already moving away. “Better to keep your mouth shut if all you’re gonna say is nonsense.”

            “Thank you for your wise words, Mr. Boo! Have a great day!” she calls out.

            “Don’t tell me what to do,” he says, and the door slams shut.

            “See?” Jaehyung says, turning to the others. “She can even put Mr. Boo in a good mood with just words alone!”

            “That was a good mood?” Dowoon asks, skeptical.

            “Believe me; it is,” Jieun says, and they all turn away from the situation.

            “So, we’ve established that Areum-noona fully deserves a party to commemorate her hard work—” Younghyun starts—

            “And her unrivaled passion and her general presence that blesses us all with a mere smile,” Jaehyung supplies, nodding.

            “… and that,” Younghyun hesitantly continues with furrowed eyebrows, “but what kind of party are we going to plan, exactly?”

            “It better not be the same kind of party you planned for Grandmother two years ago or else I will skin you personally myself,” Jieun says. “And make Areum-unnie re-think her life choices.”

            “Psh, no. I’m not gonna do that,” Jaehyung denies as if she’s stupid. He pauses for a bit. “Yeah, of course not—no way,” he says and it’s enough for the three of them to know that it had been an option, at least. “Anyway, uh, Noona told me a few weeks back that she prefers parties that attract less attention, nothing grandiose whatsoever. Small events. _Gatherings_ , if you will.”

            “Oh, she’s the complete opposite of you, then,” Jieun says, crossing her arms. “You love big parties. You two went to his birthday party last year, right?” she asks, turning to Younghyun and Dowoon.

            They stare at her, faces blank.

            “Yeah, I figure you two would be the last persons I should be asking that.” Jieun nods, solemnly. “Jae had this ginormous party last year in his house—like, dude went all out: rented out a hotel, invited the entire school—I don’t even think he’s done opening all his presents, too.”

            “I still got about twenty in my apartment storage,” Jaehyung says.

            “The theme was ‘Chicken Little’—because, you know, Jae kinda looks like Chicken Little—and everything was completely in-line with it, down to the decorations, the presents, the _people_. Everyone wore a chicken mascot!”

            “… With consent?” Dowoon asks, skeptic.

            “Jae’s more popular than you think.” Jieun shrugs and Jaehyung nods, not denying it.

            “It’s kinda why I needed your help,” Jaehyung says, turning to Younghyun and Dowoon. “I specialize in planning parties that are grand and big, but Noona isn’t really into that, so I thought you guys could help me. You know, since you two are… you know…”

            “The biggest loners of the school due to the fact that people are too intimidated by my grades and because people think he’s a monster?” Dowoon jabs a thumb at his boyfriend.

            “I mean… _yeah_ …?” Jaehyung’s voice heightens at the end.

            Younghyun shrugs.

            “That’s fair,” he says and Jaehyung fist-pumps the air. “So, when’s the party gonna be?”

            “I was thinking maybe next Sunday,” Jaehyung says. “Noona gets off at twelve, then, and she doesn’t have any classes, so we could invite her for the party in the afternoon!”

            Jieun frowns. “But isn’t Sunday—”

            “Ah, you don’t have to worry about that, Ji,” Jaehyung says, waving a dismissive hand. “I can live without it this year. Areum-noona is much more important.”

            Jaehyung claps once.

            “Well! Now, that that’s all settled,” he says with a grin on his face, “let the party-planning commence!”

            (“This is _really_ giving me a bad case of déjà vu, right now.”

            (“It’s okay, Younghyun. It’s okay.”)

           

They leave the café about an hour later, finished with both the party planning and their desserts (plus the vanilla cake and ice cream sundae that Dowoon had ordered additionally). One boy in particular isn’t really trying his best to hide his painfully apparent excitement.

            “Ahhh—this is gonna be the best party ever—I just know it!” Jaehyung gushes, practically vibrating with the amount of excitement boiling under his thin, lanky body. He’d probably jump for joy if he still wasn’t bound by the norms of society. “Honestly, thank you guys, so much for helping me! I couldn’t have done this without your smarts and social ineptitude!”

            “The first part is me, the second part is Younghyun, and both of those is you,” Jieun says to Dowoon, who nods, undenying.

            “I could kiss all of you right now!”

 _Please don’t_ , they all think, backing away for various reasons probably obvious enough that they wouldn’t need to be explained.

            “See you guys Sunday morning!” Jaehyung says, already walking away. “And remember—don’t be late. This party has to be perfect!”

            Jaehyung bids them goodbye before turning away and practically skipping across the street, a trail of glitters and flowers lining his ever-happy path to absolute joy and elation.

            “Well, he seems to be excited for something,” someone says.

            The three of them turn to see Areum in the flesh, hair tied in a ponytail and lips as red as ever. She’s still in her barista uniform, so she must still be on break before needing to return to her duties.

            Younghyun laughs. “Yeah, noona. He’s pretty excited for this thing he’s planning for y—”

            Dowoon slaps a hand against his boyfriend’s mouth with a loud _smack_. “Jaehyung’s been telling us that he’s planning on binge-watching this TV show he’s been waiting for months,” he lies smoothly, despite Younghyun’s muffled protests.

            “He wouldn’t be planning on doing that this Sunday, is he?” Areum asks, looking a little worried.

            The three of them send each other a look. Dowoon removes his hand as Jieun says,

            “No, unnie. He doesn’t really have much planned on Sunday.”

            “Oh, good!” Areum says with a relieved smile. She clasps her hands together, looking pleased. “Because I was planning on asking you three to help me with something on Sunday.”

            “Oh, uh…” Younghyun says, scratching his neck. “Actually, noona, we’ve got something to do on Sunday…”

            “I’ll pay you,” Areum offers.

            “We’ll do it,” Jieun immediately says, and Younghyun and Dowoon turn to her with _???_ plastered on their faces.

            “Really? Thank you,” Areum says, smiling down at them. “I honestly can’t thank you enough. I promise the pay will be worth it.”

            “Well, what is it that we have to do, unnie?” Jieun asks, putting her hands on her hips. Younghyun and Dowoon just look at each other and sigh, resigning to their fate.

            “I actually wanted to ask you guys to plan a party for me,” Areum says.

            “Oh?” Younghyun says.

            “For Jaehyung, really.”

            “Oh,” Jieun says.

            “For his birthday on Sunday.”

            “… Oh,” Dowoon says.

            “Jaehyung told me a few weeks back that he likes really _big_ and _grand_ parties, and since he told me he wasn’t planning anything for his birthday this year because he’s so busy at school, I thought I could plan one for him!” Areum giggles. “Isn’t that great?”

            “Mm-hm,” Jieun says, trying to make it sound less like a whimper. “That’s… a really great plan, unnie.”

            “My apartment isn’t really suited for big parties, so I was planning to reserve a dining hall of this hotel for this Sunday,” Areum explains. “I haven’t really thought of what theme to go for, but that’s why I needed your help, I suppose. You know his tastes better than I do, so I thought you’d be best for the job of creative directors!”

            “Y-yeah…” Younghyun says. “W-we sure are…”

            “Great! I promise I’ll pay you a lot for your hardwork,” she says. “I have to get back to the café now, but let’s meet again tomorrow to discuss. Make sure Jaehyung doesn’t find out, okay?”

            “W-will do, Caf… Noona,” Dowoon says, trying a smile.

            Areum bids them goodbye, a new skip to her step, and she re-enters the café, the sound of the bell ringing in their ears.

            The three of them share the same, knowing look.

            “We,” Jieun starts.

            “Are,” Younghyun continues.

            “Ducked,” Dowoon says. “We are utterly ducked.”

            And utterly ducked they are, indeed.

 

Younghyun and Dowoon watch Jieun pace in her room, arms folded against her chest, her thumb trapped between her teeth in an act of pure stress and nervousness.

            “Alright, we seriously need to think of a way to amend this situation,” she says, still pacing. “Ugh, I cannot _believe_ we are even in this mess in the first place—thanks a _lot_ , Younghyun!”

            Younghyun put his hands up in disbelief. “You’re the one who immediately said yes to noona before we even found out what she wanted us to do for her!”

            “Yeah, well, you could’ve said no afterwards, couldn’t you?” Jieun counters. “You had the chance to tell unnie that ‘no, actually, we aren’t going to do that,’ before she told us what we had to do but you threw it all away!”

            “I wasn’t the only one there! Dowoon—” Younghyun turns to his boyfriend for a moment and Dowoon stares back, silent, legs propped up on Younghyun’s crossed ones as they sit on Jieun’s bed. Younghyun turns back to Jieun a second later. “This is unheard of,” he settles, unable to pitch the blame on Dowoon for even a second.

            “Well, unless we find a way to somehow plan both parties without either of them finding out _and_ to somehow have both parties happen on the _same_ day _just_ the way the both of them want it to go and with _both_ of them at _both_ parties at the _same_ time,” Jieun says in one breath, “then we are totally ducked for life.”

            “Can’t we just cancel Noona’s request?” Younghyun tries. “I mean, Jaehyung was the first one to ask us…”

            “We’re getting paid to do this, Younghyun,” Jieun says. “It would be the biggest disrespect to return someone’s money after we’ve already said we could—and would—do it. Plus, you can’t really change the date of someone’s birthday.”

            “What about Jaehyung, then? It’s not like Areum-noona has a set date for when she can celebrate her promotion.”

            “But you know how Jae is. Even if we don’t help him, he’s still gonna have that party one way or another. And then, he’s gonna invite Areum-unnie and she’s gonna find out that we two-timed the both of them—if unnie doesn’t invite Jaehyung first! Either way, we are so ducked.”

            The both of them slump their shoulders, all hopes given up and out.

            But then someone raises their hand.

            “I have a question,” Dowoon says.

            “Go ahead,” Jieun says.

            “Did Jaehyung say where he wanted the party to be?”

            Younghyun shakes his head no. “He just said it had to be small and modest. We were still going to discuss where it’s gonna be held.”

            A wide grin spreads across Dowoon’s face.

            “Then, I think I have the answer.”

 

“Alright, everyone, Yongsun-manager is here, so don’t start slacking now!” Areum calls on her way out of the back room. “Especially you, Yieun! Stop sleeping on the couch—it’s still your shift!”

            The lanky boy groans out loud in protest, but picks himself off the couch anyway.

            Areum feels a hand on her shoulder and she turns to see a wide grin directed at her, as if sunlight itself was being emitted by a set of blindingly white teeth.

            “You’re doing a great job as co-manager, Areum-ie,” Yongsun says, smiling at her. “Though to be honest, the promotion’s long overdue. Like finally getting the first place at an award show when you should’ve already gotten it a couple comebacks prior.”

            Areum breathes out a laughter. “Thanks, Yongsun. Don’t go too hard on them, okay?”

            Yongsun laughs, dyed blonde hair bouncing as so. “When have I ever? Get some good rest, okay, sweetie? See you Tuesday.”

            Yongsun moves past her and Areum counts just _one_ , then _two_ , then _three_ —

            “GET YOUR LAZY BUTTS WORKING, SLOWPOKES! IT’S ALREADY RUSH HOUR AND I SEE NONE OF YOU MAKING ANY PROGRESS! AND DONG YIEUN! GET OFF THE COUCH AND PULL YOUR WEIGHT, YOUNG MAN!”

            Areum shakes her head with laughter playing on her lips, walking out of the back room. Their problem now.

            After nodding to her co-workers at the counter and at the customers who look frightened (probably because of how loud Yongsun’s voice travels from the back room to the dining area), Areum leaves the café with a gust of spring breeze greeting her. She breathes it in before checking the time on her watch. _12:12_. If she takes the bus, she could get to the hotel just in time to help Jieun and the others do the final touches on the party.

            Areum feels a wave of excitement surge through her body. Oh, if only Jieun and the others would just _tell_ her how the party looks like, or at least just show her a picture of it. The most Areum’s seen is how the dining hall looks bare, without all the decorations and everything. But that was when before she asked the others to help her, and now they’re all just keeping her in the dark.

            Jieun had told her that they wanted to make the party a surprise for Areum, too, to make it even more special for the ‘unofficial couple that they are’. She had reassured her that everything is all that Jaehyung would love and more, but Areum just can’t shake the feeling that something is a bit off.

            But no worries! She trusts Jieun and the others, and is sure that they’ve got everything under control. All she needs to do is get a bus, get to the hotel, and make sure the party is alri—

            Suddenly, her vision is blocked by something fabric-like, keeping her in complete darkness for two seconds. Her self-defense teachings kick in and she jabs her elbow behind her attacker.

            “Ow!” someone yells and Areum stops herself because she knows that voice.

            “Younghyun?” Areum asks, unbelieving, cloth falling from her face to reveal the boy clutching his side, looking incredibly in pain.

            “Hi… noona,” Younghyun wheezes, bent over. “It’s… such a… wonderful day out…. Oh, jeez.”

            “What are you—”

            Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringtone comes and Younghyun reaches (with difficulty) for his back pocket, answering the phone.

            “Younghyun spea… king… No, we’re… we’re still at… at Beauteaful…

            “Huh? Oh… Areum-noona hit… me. I think it might bruise ac—

            “Oh… yeah, I did.

            “Wait, I was supposed to put the blindfold on in the _hotel_?

            “Well, how was I supposed to kn—

            “Fine, fine. Okay.

            “Yeah, okay. We’re going, we’re going.”

            Younghyun hangs up and puts his phone in his pocket, looking less in pain than before but it’s still there.

            “Sorry I tried to blindfold you earlier, Noona,” he says, bowing a little. “I was supposed to do it in the hotel.”

            Areum stares at him. He picks up the cloth from the ground, dusts it off. It’s color blue.

            “Here, noona,” Younghyun says, offering the cloth. “It’s probably best if you do it to yourself later. In the hotel, preferably.”

            Areum stares at him. She takes the cloth. And stares at him more.

            “Dowoon is extremely in love with you,” she says. “ _Extremely_. I’m sure of it.”

            “You think so?” A wide grin spreads itself across Younghyun’s face. “He hasn’t told me yet.”

            “I… can think of many reasons why.”

            “Oh! There’s a bus!” Younghyun says, walking past her. “We should get there before the party starts. Jieun and Dowoon told me I can’t tell you anything about our secret plan. So, I hope I’m not asking too much by asking you to not ask any questions, noona. Oh! Hurry! The bus just stopped!”

            The only reason why Areum gets on the bus with him later and doesn’t ask any questions is because she feels pity on Jieun and Dowoon’s part. It’ll probably break both their hearts and then some to have their probably well-thought out plan ruined just because of one boy’s naivety, idiocy, and innocent ignorance. Honestly, Younghyun. Ho. Nest. Ly.

 

“—od, we can’t leave that boy alone for a second!”

            “Yeah, maybe we shouldn’t have made him go alone.”

            “Ugh, if only we had the choice. But I’m needed here and you’re too precious to be made to do work and Younghyun is the only option when Jae is not ar—”

            “Oh, they’re here!”

            Areum lets herself be (partially) led by Younghyun’s hand on her shoulder to the place where Jieun and Dowoon had been whispering loudly to each other. Behind the blindfold, Areum can see almost nothing.

            “Shh, be quiet, or else unnie will know we’re here.”

            “Maybe we should stop talking, then?”

            “You guys, should I lead her through that door or this d—”

            “Shh!”

            “Shh!”

            “I was just ask—”

            “SHH!”

            “SHH!”

            “But how will I kn—"

            “Oh, for god’s sake.”

            “D—?”

            Silence.

            Silence.

            Silence.

            “… That door.”

            “… Okay.”

            Areum stops herself from letting out a giggle as Younghyun shifts their direction a bit, the hand on her shoulder warmer for one reason or another.

            A few steps further and Areum hears the sound of a door opening, and Younghyun nudges her forward a bit. She takes a few more steps, feeling the archof the doorway, before she’s made to stop.  

            “Okay, noona,” she hears Younghyun say. “You can take off your blindfold now.”

            The door closes and Areum removes the blindfold—

            To see magic right there in front of her.

            The room she’s in is decorated in colors of blue, white, and pink, streamers and fairy lights lining the walls and the windows. Paper cut-outs of blue seahorses, silver metallic fishes, and pink and purple jellyfish line the walls while simple, white beads hang from the ceiling. At the center of it all is a single, circular table filled with a few slices of blueberry cheesecake, a blue soda float, and a rectangular holder for napkins. And next to the table is Jaehyung, wearing a nervous smile on his face.

            “Heyyy, noona,” he hesitantly. “Wassup?”

            At that last one he contorts his face like he usually does when he thinks he’s done something embarrassing, but all it does is bring a wonderful smile on her face.

            “Jaehyung,” she says, unable to hide the smile on her face. “What is all this?”

            “W-well, remember when I asked you a few weeks back about what kind of party you li—wait, no, that’s going too far back—uh, remember when Jieun asked you if you were free tod—wait, no, that’s too soon—uh, remember when we bought those glow-in-the-dark stars—now, we’re going off-topic—um—uh—”

            Jaehyung panics for a moment, practically vibrating with nervousness before he suddenly faces Areum with all rigidness and bows down to her, ninety degrees and everything.

            “I wanted to plan a party for you to celebrate you getting promoted to manager because you deserve it and also because I’m really, really, really proud and happy for you!” he shouts, voice echoing across the walls of this tiny room.

            But Areum’s heart is swelling bigger than any place this world could muster.

            “And you planned all of this,” she says, “for me?”

            Jaehyung slowly straightens his back, looking sheepish.

            “Well, I had some help,” he admits. “I don’t really know much about tiny parties, but since you like them so much I thought I should set up one for you. Ji, Younghyun, and Dowoon all helped me with it.”

            At that, Areum tilts her head a little.

            “Did they,” she asks, drawling out every syllable.

            “Y-yeah, they did. I was actually kinda weirded out that they kept insisting the party should be in the back room of this hotel because hotels don’t exactly scream tiny and small and modest, but Jieun said my apartment wasn’t fit for a party.”

            “And they helped you for this party,” Areum says, “even though today is your birthday?”

            Jaehyung scratches his neck. “I told them I didn’t need to celebrate this year. Because you were more importan—wait, you knew it was my birthday today?” he asks, incredulous.

            At that, Areum laughs.

            “Of course, I knew, Jaehyung,” she says. “You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

            “O-oh…” Jaehyung tries to push a grin down. “Would you miss it to celebrate your promotion, though?” he tries.

            Areum looks up for a moment, making it look like she’s thinking about it.

            “Maybe,” she says, “but I think this year isn’t the year for that.”

            Areum grabs the doorknob and opens the door, letting the brightness of the other room light up the entire scene.

            “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PARK JAEHYUNG!”

            An enormous amount of people yell at the same time and Areum turns back to see the absolute shock on Jaehyung’s face, looking absolutely taken aback by maybe a thousand steps.

            “What?” he yells, eyes wide, and Areum laughs out loud.

            “You’re not the only one who secretly planned a party,” she says, and grabs Jaehyung’s hand, leading him outside of the room.

            The entire dining hall is decorated bright orange, red, and yellow, like flames firing up the entire room. All the streamers, lights, balloons are colored the same way and a big banner reads, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FAVORITE CHICKEN LITTLE!” in big, bold letters. There are a lot of long tables filled with all sorts of food, from barbecue to salads to ice cream, and there’s even a mascot of a chick dancing in the corner.

            Not to mention all of the people that fill up the room with bright grins and chatter and laughter playing on their lips. Areum assumes them to be Jaehyung’s friends and she confirms that fact when Jaehyung yells,

            “Oh, my god—you guys! Whattheheckwhattheheckwhattheheck!”

            “You really didn’t think anyone would ever let you not celebrate your birthday?” A big guy comes over from the crowd and lifts Jaehyung up in a big hug. “Your birthdays are the best, man! It’s time someone else planned them for you!”

            “Matt, whattheheckwhattheheckwhattheheck!” Jaehyung laughs. “Did everyone come?”

            “Everyone from our grade level, dude!” Matt says, putting him down. “We even somehow convinced Wonpil and Seungjun to come.”

            Jaehyung spots someone in the crowd and immediately runs up to them.

            “Jooheon!” he greets, hugging them. “My man! My bro!”

            “Hey, this is to thank you for wiping off that glue and glitter off me,” Jooheon says, patting him on the back.

            “That is totally wrong on so many levels but I’ll take it!”

            Jaehyung whips his head around and takes in the biggest gasp in the century.

            “IS THAT BUCKIE FROM THE FOOD CHAIN BUCK-BUCK-BUCKAW?” he yells, pointing at the chick mascot from before.

            “Yeah, dude! Wanna give him a hug?”

            “Oh, you bet I’m gonna give him a hug—come here, Buckaroo!”

            He tackles Buckie to the ground and the chick somehow crows in either pain or elation—no one can really tell. Areum laughs to herself, watching the boy have all the fun in the world.

            But then she spots a familiar-looking group of people and slips away from the scene, leaving Jaehyung to his fun.

            “God, I can’t believe you guys planned all this!” Jaehyung says after standing up, leaving Buckie lifeless on the floor.

            “Well, it wasn’t all us,” Matt says, shrugging. “Jieun helped, too. She’s the one who sort of threated us to come or else she’ll skin us alive. Though, to be honest, she didn’t really need to do that to convince us to go.”

            “Classic Jieun.”

            “Ah, but there’s someone she also mentioned, I think,” Matt adds. “Someone who planned her plan, I think? A girl named Areum, though I don’t think anyone we know is named—”

            “EVERYONE GO HELP YOURSELVES TO THE FOOD TABLE THERE’S SOMEWHERE I NEED TO BE BYE!”

            And Jaehyung darts away from the rest, who all shrug and do as they are told.

            He looks and looks, but for some reason, the girl he is looking for is nowhere to be found.

            No, he knows exactly where she is.

 

Jieun, Younghyun, and Dowoon all stand peacefully in their corner of the room as the party goes on smoothly. Jieun’s paper plate is half-full, Younghyun’s paper plate is still full, and Dowoon is already on his third helping of carbonara.

            “I cannot believe we managed to pull this off,” Jieun says, taking a bite out of her chicken.

            “I can’t believe that there was anything to pull off in the first place,” someone says and Younghyun almost drops his food.

            Areum walks up to them, a smile on her lips, and the three of them immediately go into a humbler position, backs bent down just a little.

            “You sneaky little kids,” she says, shaking her head. “Let me guess: you somehow promised both Jaehyung and I to plan different parties on the same day and you didn’t think to tell either of us no?”

            Jieun swallows down her food. “It was Younghyun’s idea,” she immediately says, pointing her chicken leg at the boy. He puts a hand up in disbelief.

            “We’re really sorry, noona,” Dowoon says, bowing a little. “We just didn’t know how to tell you, and we didn’t want to disappoint either of you.”

            “Plus, Dowoon came up with this plan to have the parties in the same place and it was just too good to not pull through,” Younghyun says.

            “Dowoonnie could’ve come up with a plan that involved a rubber ducky and you’d still wanna pull through with it,” Jieun says.

            “That is true.”

            “You’re not mad at us, are you, noona?” Dowoon asks.

            At that, Areum sighs and lets a smile play on her lips before shaking her head.

            “No, I get it,” she says. “The hearts that you three have are just too big to not wanna go through with both of our wishes. Also,” she adds, with a nudge of the head to Younghyun, “you’re lucky it was him you decided to blindfold me or else I wouldn’t have taken pity on you and let whatever your plan was go smoothly.”

            “So, my incompetence is what led to our victory?” Younghyun asks, incredulous.

            “I knew I made the right choice.” Dowoon leans in to peck Younghyun on the cheek.

            “Ah, but, unnie…” Jieun asks, hesitant. “I know that things might not have gone entirely according to what you wanted—”

            “Don’t worry; I’m still paying you the same amount as promised,” Areum says.

            “Yes!” Jieun yells, pulling in Areum for a hug. “You are the best sister-in-law ever!”

            She moves away to celebrate with the other people from their grade level and Younghyun turns to Dowoon.

            “Sister-in-law?” he echoes.

            “She and Jaehyung are practically siblings and Areum-noona and Jaehyung are practically dating already, so…” Dowoon shrugs.

            “Ah. I see.”

            As if on cue, Jaehyung appears at that exact same moment, looking like he ran an entire mile.

            “Jaehyung!” Areum exclaims. “Are you okay?”

            “You didn’t try to chase that chick mascot like last time, did you?” Younghyun frowns.

            “Psh, no. Of course not,” Jaehyung denies as if he’s stupid. He pauses for a bit. “Yeah, I’d never do that,” he adds, and it’s enough for the three of them to know that he wanted to, at least. “I was just looking for you, noona,” he says to her. “I thought you were at the balcony.”

            “Why did you think I was at the balcony?” Areum frowns at him.

            “Because—you know—in movies, whenever the main character and the love inte—I mean, the other main character are at a party or a ball and they have to talk, it’s always at a balcony,” Jaehyung says. “Isn’t it?”

            “What are you—a character in a novel?” Younghyun asks.

            “Or better yet—fanfiction?” Dowoon asks.

            “I am so confused right now,” Jaehyung says.

            Areum just laughs, shaking her head.

            “You know, Jaehyung, as much as I love big and grandiose parties,” she says, then laughs. “I don’t. I honestly don’t know how you can handle so much people in one place.”

            Jaehyung laughs sheepishly.

            “Well, I don’t know how you can celebrate big things with such a small party,” he says.

            He lifts his elbow up for Areum to hold.

            “Wanna debate on which kind of party is better in the room at the back?” he offers. “There’s still that blueberry cheesecake from before which I hope was not eaten up by ants or whatever.”

            Areum laughs and wraps a hand around his arm.

            “I’d love to.”

            Younghyun and Dowoon watch the two of them go, talking together as the party still goes on.

            “It’s kinda a shame that they have to wait so long to actually be together, huh,” Younghyun says, off-handedly.

            “I guess,” Dowoon says. “But I think it says a lot about them as people.”

            “People who are willing to wait for the right time for something to happen?” Younghyun says. “People who’d rather wait for something that’s meant to be than to chase after something that isn’t?”

            Dowoon turns to Younghyun. “You know, you really are poetic.”

            Younghyun grins at him. “A great poet has great inspiration to take from.”

            Dowoon punches Younghyun playfully on the shoulder, though he does press his side against Younghyun much, much closer.

            “I better be the only inspiration,” Dowoon mumbles and Younghyun lets out a laugh at that.

            “Like I need anyone else,” he says, and leans down to kiss Dowoon on the lips, not giving a care to the world.

            Across the room, someone does give a care to the world and that someone is Kim Wonpil, who’s staring in disgust at how Kang Younghyun and Yoon Dowoon are just eating face at each other by the long table. Honestly, they’re in public.

            “You know, I’m not one to judge someone’s kinks but if you’re going to practice voyeurism, I’d wish you’d be less obvious about it,” Sungjin says, leaning into his space.

            “I do not have any kinks whatsoever!” Wonpil yells in annoyance, swatting the laughing boy away.

            “Tell that to Mr. Kwon every time you ask him to praise you on your work.”

            “That’s in an academic context!”

            “Ooh, you like roleplay, then?”

            Wonpil moves to strangle Sungjin but the boy is quicker than he looks, dodging before Wonpil can even touch him.

            “Ugh, I can’t believe you dragged me to go to this stupid party,” Wonpil grumbles, crossing his arms. “We have a project to pass literally two weeks later. That’s practically tomorrow!”

            “Come on, Pillie—I dragged you here because I wanted you to have fun for once!” Sungjin says. “Who made you such a rock?”

            “Who made you have such a disgusting sense of humor?”

            “I’ve been trying to become funnier and more playful. You know, all ‘youth’ and all that?”

            At that, Wonpil’s eyebrow twitches.

            Because who else loves to push people into doing all kinds of stupid things, always saying, “This is our youth and we should be living it”?

            As if on cue, a certain long-haired girl comes to their table with laughter playing on her lips, followed by a couple of other people.

            “I swear—I’m serious!” she’s saying. “The entire government is a conspiracy! I mean, think about it! Have you ever seen Principal Park Jinyoung in the same room as Park Jinyoung from JYP—”

            She cuts herself short when she sees Sungjin in front of her, who’s staring at her back.

            “Oh, uh, hey, Sungjin,” she says with a smile. “You, uh, having fun?”

            Sungjin nods, a small smile on his face.

            “Yeah, I am, Jieun,” he says. “You?”

            “Oh, definitely. I mean, we planned this whole thing. Bit of a disappointment if I don’t enjoy myself, right?”

            “Yeah,” Sungjin says with a laugh. “Right.”

            Jieun smiles at him before grabbing the entire bowl of donuts.

            “I’ll be seeing you at school, then,” she says. “Bye.”

            “Bye,” Sungjin says, waving a hand.

            And she moves away and leaves, just like that.

            And Sungjin stares at her as she does, just like that.

            And Wonpil watches him as he does, just like this, just like he always has.

            “She took the entire bowl of donuts,” Wonpil says.

            “Yeah.” Sungjin nods, solemnly. “She did.”

            Wonpil lets out a sigh and turns away, inadvertently turning his attention back to Younghyun and Dowoon. They’re both laughing, wide grins and all, as Younghyun cages Dowoon’s left side with one arm. Dowoon says something and Younghyun bursts out in laughter, having to hold onto Dowoon and bury himself into his neck. And Dowoon laughs at that, pushing his boyfriend away gently just to pull him back down and into a laughy, smiley kiss that probably has their teeth clash against each other more than once. And yet, they’re still smiling. And yet they’re still together.

            Kim Wonpil grabs a drink off the food table and takes a sip, not caring that it isn’t alcohol, just knowing that he’ll probably need it to get through the day.

            The party ends three hours later, with most of the guests happy and satisfied. Jaehyung and Areum spent most of it chatting in the backroom. Jieun spent most of it hosting the games and eating all the food, even sending about a dozen pictures to Mina to let her know how wonderful a day it was. Wonpil and Sungjin spend most of it by the food table in the corner, both of them having another person in their minds.

            Younghyun and Dowoon had left the party one hour into it, heading on over to Dowoon’s house to watch a set of movies neither of them had watched before. Three movies later, Younghyun went up to cook Dowoon some dinner and Dowoon had gone up to help him, leaving the TV on for one reason or another. They ate dinner, turned off the TV, and went up to Dowoon’s room that night to just talk, and kiss, and fall asleep.

            It was the same day for each of them, the same Sunday, and yet all of them experienced it differently. But whether it be with happiness or sadness or neither, all that one needs to know is that, at the very least, it was all meant to be.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- legit one of my favorite chapters  
> \- i was literally giggling and guffawing when i was writing this on my tablet oh my GAWD  
> \- wkahajahajaga i just really love this chapter so much???? it holds such a special place in my heart i just cannot  
> \- also yes posted this two hours late but dont @ me i was doing the laundry chores first before fics, hoes
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! 
> 
> thank you so much for reading this and i hope you have a wonderful day!!!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	27. An afternoon of thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Younghyun and Dowoon cuddle in Dowoon's room to take a break from studying, and Dowoon can't help but think about things.

Orange is already seeping into the sky the moment they decide to lie down on Dowoon’s bed together to take a break from studying. Younghyun likes to call it “cuddling”; Dowoon likes to call it “anything but that”.

            It’s probably because the word “cuddling” is such a giddy, too-sweet word that Dowoon can't really digest without wanting to gag. He prefers “hugging” and “embracing”. “Cuddling”? That's a big no-no. (“Aw, you're such a tsundere.” “Aw, you're failing in chemistry.”)

            But as they “cuddle” on Dowoon’s bed with Younghyun’s arm loosely draped around Dowoon’s shoulder and Dowoon’s arms folded in front of his chest so he can lie just a little closer to him, Dowoon focuses more on the act than the name.

            He hears Younghyun mutter the names of the elements under his breath, and he looks up to see the boy looking straight past him at something that emits a light radiating towards his face.

            “Younghyun, I thought we were taking a break,” Dowoon deadpans, and Younghyun steels for a moment before glancing down with a sheepish smile. “Memorizing the elements on your phone is not ‘taking a break’.”

            “It’s just really interesting this time,” Younghyun protests with a laugh. He pulls Dowoon closer to him. “How can there be metal liquid?”

            “It’s ‘liquid metal’, not ‘metal liquid’,” Dowoon grumbles.

            “Same difference.”

            Dowoon just stares up at Younghyun as he reads the attributes of mercury under his breath. He stares at his brown eyes, the shape of his cheekbones, and the curve of his lips, scoots just a little bit closer.

            It’s moments like this that Dowoon feels the safest, the most secure, and also the most vulnerable. When he's so close to Younghyun that he can hear every single word he mumbles, feel the beating of his heart beneath his fingertips, smell the cologne that Younghyun started to use a week ago. When he can feel the comfort of Younghyun’s warmth, of his arm tightly wrapped around Dowoon’s body, of not needing any more than to be here.

            It’s moments like this that that night of so many weeks ago pops up in his mind. That night of when their footsteps lead them to the swing in the middle of the park. That night of Younghyun’s words, of Dowoon’s heartbeat, of Younghyun’s eyes, eyes, eyes.

            His eyes were telling him more than his ears heard. His eyes were the stars that watched over them that night. His eyes told him every word, everything he felt, and his eyes pulled him, bringing his lips closer to Younghyun’s and closing his eyes to see the flowers that bloomed in his chest.

            When he looks up at Younghyun now as they lie down on Dowoon’s bed, another flower blooms. A small smile plays on Younghyun’s lips and there blooms another two. Younghyun glances down at Dowoon with a questioning look and an entire garden blossoms in his chest, directly on top of his heart.

            Dowoon reaches up and plants a flower on Younghyun’s lips with his own, closing his eyes and seeing the entire garden in front of him. He kisses him and Younghyun kisses him back, planting one rose near the gate.

            Dowoon pulls back and Younghyun is looking at him, rose pink seeping into the boy’s skin. Dowoon leans in again and plants a dandelion.

            When he pulls back a second time, Younghyun is looking at him with a questioning smile, and Dowoon plants a daisy on it. He plants a baby’s breath on the corner of Younghyun’s lips, a sunflower on his cheek, a white heather on his temple, a bellflower on his forehead, a jasmine on his nose, and a primrose on his lips.

            He pulls away and sees every star shining, every planet spinning, every galaxy expanding right in front of him. He sees the entire universe in Younghyun’s eyes and feels infinity grow the flowers in the garden blooming his chest.

            His heart is covered in petals colored blue, pink, and purple, suffocating him in an overwhelmingly warm feeling, and filling him up to the brim, needing to be let out. He kisses Younghyun one last time, sending a letter of flowers flying as paper airplanes to Younghyun’s heart, knowing it will reach him even if there’s no wind to keep it in the air.

            Dowoon pulls away and hides his face in Younghyun’s chest, hearing the stars twinkle in time with Younghyun’s heartbeat, stardust warming up his cheeks.

            Dowoon feels Younghyun plant another flower on the top of his head.

            “You know, you could always just say, ‘I love you,’” Younghyun says next to his ear, and a flurry of petals fly up in the room.

            “Don't want to,” Dowoon replies, burying himself among the stars.

            Younghyun breathes out a laugh and just hugs Dowoon tighter, letting a small smile pull up his face.

            A small, vulnerable silence.

            And then, a tiny voice whispers out,

            “I love you, Younghyun.”

            And that small smile turns wide and big, bigger than the universe, bigger than anything.

            “I love you, too.”

            The orange fades into a deep shade of purple, letting the twinkling lights have their own chance at the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- this was actually the VERY FIRST chapter i ever wrote for wsly, and it was done WEEKS before i started writing the rest of the chapters, so if you notice a slight difference in my choice of words or style, that's why ^^ it's like a blast from the past lolololol  
> \- but yeah this was the very first chapter, and i remember smiling so widely like an idiot writing this on my phone, feeling my heart swell because of it. it's the kind of vibe you get from someones first "i love you" and i hope i was able to emulate that feeling well  
> \- also, as this is the very first chapter i wrote, there arent actually a lot of differences made to the original. in fact, the only things i added were the last five lines (not counting the lastest one)  
> \- also, as this was the very first chapter (when will i stop repeating this), i didnt actually plan for there to be a build-up to when dowoon would say "i love you", so i was a bit surprised when some commenters talked about the "big scene" that would finally (finally) _finally_ make dowoon say it. but sometimes you dont need a big scene to say it; all you need is to feel it and know that, in that moment, nothing else could be truer than the "i love you" that slipped out of your lips in that instance. so, i hope that explains well for anyone who might be confused or feel it's too anticlimactic ^^  
>  \- also i cried writing this fyi  
> \- also my sister really liked how i worded the things in this chapter and i like it a lot too hehehee
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	28. Jieun and Mina (pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things just feel too good to be true.

In all honesty, Mina’s still convinced that all of this is a dream, no matter how many times she’s pinched herself and never woken up. Maybe she just hasn’t pinched herself hard enough. That could be the case.

            Ever since Mina met Jieun again at the café, they’ve been sending each other text messages and chatting for even until eleven in the evening. (And Mina usually sleeps at nine.) They keep talking about their day, and whether or not they got home safe, and Jieun always asks how school is like, how it’s like to finally be in high school, what hobbies she has, what her favorite things are, what her non-favorite things are… and all of it makes Mina feel like mush on the inside.

            She really can’t believe that the girl she’s been crushing for five months, the girl she thought she’d never see again, is the same girl sending her hearts and smiley faces and pictures of herself posing with a peace sign just to greet Mina for the day. (One time, she sent a picture of herself posing in the middle of her school hallway while Mina was reporting in front of the class, and Mina had to BS a reason as to why she suddenly let out a squeal in the middle of discussing how landslides should be mitigated. [She ended up saying that her squeal was what people sounded like when buried under a thousand pounds of soil. Dark, I know.])

            There just aren’t any words that can fully encompass just how happy and elated and joyful Mina feels right now, just talking with Jieun and greeting her every morning and every noon and every night, with Jieun asking things about her and Mina doing the same, with every heart that Jieun sends her and goes to her very own. A feeling pulsing a pastel pink and a warm orange. The kind of feeling that has Mina falling with every text.

            The one thing that Mina can’t figure out, however, is why Jieun is doing this in the first place. She seems friendly enough and probably way more outgoing than the last person (if the way she unabashedly put her face close to Mina’s and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear were any indication) but Mina can’t pinpoint a specific reason as to why she wants to be friends with Mina so much. Maybe she’s just really that kind to everyone? Oh, but she mentioned before that she doesn’t even chat like this so much with her own best friend. So, what other reason could Jieun want to be so kind to her? Unless—

            Mina promptly grabs her comforter and covers her face with it, feeling a warmth spreading across her face at the thought and every ounce of embarrassment fill up her entire tiny body.

            No way, no way, no way! Jieun couldn’t possibly like her back! No way—that’s crazy! Jieun’s so pretty and sweet and witty and smart and cool—not to mention, two years older and in the top of her class! Meanwhile, Mina’s shy and awkward and timid and doesn’t know how to talk to people or how to do the groceries without getting banned from it for a month. What on earth could possibly make Jieun have feelings for he—

_“You’re prettier than anyone I’ve ever met.”_

            And slowly, Mina removes her comforter from her face and places it on her lap, feeling her face tinted a blush-y pink. She lets that thought settle deep in her mind.

            Well, if that really is the reason, then—

_Ping!_

            Mina lets out a loud squeak, bringing her blanket close to her chest as an instinct against potential threats to her safety. But it turns out to be just her phone sitting on her study desk. Nothing to worry abo—

            Wait, the only person who texts her is _Jieun—hold the freaking phone—_

            Mina scrambles to get off her bed and put her butt on her swivel chair, clumsily tripping on her way there, like, maybe four times. She grabs her phone, sees that it _is_ a text from Jieun, and has to calm herself down for a few seconds, trying impossibly to swallow the squeal coming up her throat lest her parents ban her from using her phone this time.

_Okay, you can do this. You’ve done this literally on an average of five times per day, which times seven is thirty-five, and which times two is seventy. Seventy times in two weeks. You can do this._

            She counts to ten before sending a reply message.

            Jieun: hey, cutiepie <3 whatcha doin rn

            Mina: hi, unnie!! Um, I just finished doing homework a few minutes ago. How about you? :)

            Jieun: still doing this pair project with my best friend. We have to do a report on urban forests

            Mina: oh, good luck!! Im sure youll do great!!

            Jieun: well arent you the sweetest <3

            Jieun: btw, d’you think we could video chat? Its been a while since ive seen your cute face and ive been missing it :(

            Mina screams into the palms of her hands before replying:

            Mina: um, sure! As long as I don’t bother you ^^

            Jieun: you could never bother me <3

            Suddenly, her phone receives the call from Jieun and Mina juggles with the device before finally pressing on the green button.

            Jieun appears on the screen with a bright smile on her face and waves at her. Mina tries her best not to die on the inside.

            “Hi, Mina-ya!” Jieun greets, leaning her head against what looks like a wooden headboard. She must be sitting on her bed at home. “How’s the cutest girl in the world doing?”

 _Asdfghjkl_ — “Unnie, th-that’s a bit…”

            “What— not true? Not true that you’re cute?” Jieun shakes her head, mock-disappointed. “Mina-ya, I can give you about a dozen reasons why you’re cute, if it convinces you that you are.”

 _ASDFGHJKL_ — “U-Unnie—”

            “You blush easily, you have the most adorable chubby cheeks—” Jieun counts down on her fingers— “You’ve only ever gone to the grocery on your own once, you like knitting, your favorite emoji is a cow, and now that I finally see how your room looks like, I can see that your favorite character is Gudetama and Rillakuma—”

            Mina doesn’t have to look to know she’s referring to the pile of stuff toys taking up the entire shelf above her bed.

            “You’ve got naturally rosy cheeks that are always constantly red, and your voice always sounds like this when you speak, and—”

            “Okay, okay, unnie, I got it!” Mina interrupts her before she can embarrass her further. “I-I’m cute, okay? I’m cute.”

            Jieun lets out a breath of laughter. “The cutest,” she says.

            Mina glances down for a bit, tucking her hair behind her ear and getting shy all over again. She has to admit, even though it embarrasses her when Jieun says stuff like this, she can’t deny that it makes her even just a tiny bit happy.

            “Hey, why does your hair always go over your eyes?” Jieun asks, looking genuinely curious. “You’re always tucking it behind your ear.”

            “I guess it’s just always been like that, though it hasn’t always been this short,” Mina says. “It’s just too straight for its own good, I guess.”

            Jieun hums in response, tilting her head slightly.

            “I hope you aren’t, though,” she says.

            Mina almost chokes on air.

            “Wh-wh-what?” she asks, needing to fan herself for a bit.

            Jieun smiles at her. “Do you like girls?”

            “Wh-wh-what?” Mina asks again, the world suddenly feeling like a roller coaster.

            Jieun just laughs again. “I’m asking you if you’re attracted to girls,” she elaborates. “And not just in a friend way.”

            Mina feels her cheeks burn yet again.

            “Wh-why does u-unnie wanna know?” she tries, trying to avoid any question that could lead to her big, fat crush on the girl on her phone screen.

            “Because I like boys,” Jieun says, and okay, Mina didn’t know how painful it’d be for her heart to sink like that— “But I also like girls,” she continues in a playful voice, and okay, Mina’s heart is back in place now. “And right now, I’m interested in a certain girl,” Jieun says.

            She looks at Mina in a certain way and Mina feels her heart palpitate rapidly. No way, no way, no way—stop thinking that—she probably means someone else—

            “You know who it is?” Jieun asks. “It’s actually—”

            “Ji, your shower’s not working!” someone suddenly says from Jieun’s side, and Mina almost shrieks at the abrupt ness of it. The voice had sounded muffled and far away.

            “Then, run around my house naked—I don’t care!”  Jieun yells back, looking somewhere behind her phone.

            “Grandmother’s not gonna like that!” Now that Mina’s hearing better, it sounds like a boy.

            “Grandmother’s never liked you, anyway!” Jieun yells back.

            A series of _bangs_ and _clangs_ and what sounds like a shriek comes from Mina’s phone and Jieun rolls her eyes before turning back to Mina.

            “Sorry, that was my best friend, Jae,” Jieun deadpans, adjusting on where she sits. “‘Jaehyung-oppa’ to you, but don’t let him hear that or else he’ll feel weird.”

            Mina nods a bit, glad that boy changed the course of the conversation but also feeling a bit…

            “Did he say something about a shower?” Mina asks casually, absentmindedly playing with her hair.

            “Yeah, sometimes he comes over to our house _just_ to take a shower,” Jieun says, rolling her eyes. “Apparently, our bathrooms are way better than his.”

            “So… you’re close, then?” she asks, twisting her hair around her finger. “Close enough that you let him take showers at your home?”

            Jieun narrows her eyes at Mina for a while, and the way she looks at her makes Mina squirm just a tiny bit.

            Then, a smile comes up Jieun’s face.

            “And if I say we are?” she asks, almost challenging.

            Mina swallows.

            “I-i-if unnie says you are what?” she stutters, suddenly feeling very small.

            Jieun just keeps smiling at her, a cat-caught-the-canary look on her face.

            “Tell me,” she says, “would you be okay with that?”

            Mina blushes bright red at that, her answer blaring bright and definite in her mind, not having the courage to say it.

            Then, Jieun laughs.

            “Mina-ya,” she says, “you really are cute.”

            Mina groans out loud, wanting to cover her face with her blanket but because it’s way over there and nowhere near here so  she settles with hiding behind her hair.

            “Aw, come on! Don’t hide!” Jieun laughs. “I wanna see your pretty face.”

            “You’re going to tease me again,” Mina says, though the real reason is because one more look at Jieun’s face and she’s gonna end up squealing all over again.

            “I won’t; I promise! And I promise I keep my promises well!”

            At that, Mina peeks behind her hair, and finds Jieun smiling at her.

            “There she is,” she says, laughing a little. “My favorite person in the world.”

            If only she knew just how true that was for Mina about her, too.

 

The next day, Mina sits on the bench of the bus waiting shed near her school—it’s a miracle her parents didn’t ban her from using the bus after the first time it got late (i.e. when she first met Jieun). Class had just dismissed and judging from the time on her watch—it’s a pink one embedded with hearts and sparkles—the bus should be arriving in twenty minutes, which was enough time for her to review for tomorrow’s test.

            She places her school-issued messenger bag on her lap and extracts her Chemistry notebook from it. Her notes are all color-coordinated and every important detail is highlighted, which helps her when she stud—

            Suddenly, someone places their hands over her eyes.

            “Guess who,” says a familiar voice. “Also, please don’t punch me again.”

            Mina almost couldn’t hold back the squeal that immediately came up her throat, suffocating her heart and squeezing it, hard.

            “J-J-Jieun-u-u-unnie?” Mina stutters, feeling a hot wave run over her entire body at the realization that Jieun is literally pressing her body against Mina’s back.

            “That’s correct, cutiepie!”

            Jieun removes her hands to drape her arms over Mina’s shoulders and leans forward to look at Mina’s face only inches away from hers.

            “Miss me?” she asks, grinning at Mina, dimples ever-present, and coloring Mina’s heart a shade of red, red, red.

            “U-u-unnie, y-y-you’re a bit c-c-close…” Mina stutters, actually feeling like she’s about to faint. _Why_ did she end up having a crush on someone who’s like a literal advocate of skinship?

            “We could get closer, if you want,” Jieun says, shrugging, and Mina’s mind blares a million red _!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ s.

            But Jieun does let go of Mina—thank the heavens and all the forces of the Earth—though with a laugh and a ruffle to her hair. Mina self-consciously fixes her hairdo up as Jieun goes to sit next to her.

            “You’re waiting for the bus, right?” Jieun asks, and Mina notices she has no bag on her.

            “Y-yeah, unnie,” she says, still fixing her hair. “You also get dismissed around this time, right, unnie? Did you leave your bag?”

            “Nah, I made my business partner Jeonghan carry it to my house since he lost a bet with me.” She shrugs. “Which is kind of a poor insight on his part. I never lose a bet.”

            Mina blinks at her for a second.

            “Unnie, you’re kind of ev—”

            “‘Kind of evil, aren’t you?’ Yes, Mina-ya, I kind of am,” Jieun finishes for her, laughing a little. “Don’t worry, though—” and she reaches over to pat Mina on the head, before trailing a hand down her hair. “You’re the last person I am ever going to mess around with,” she says with a smile.

            Mina bites down on a grin threatening to come up her face. _She doesn’t mean it like that, Mina. Come on—get a grip!_

            “So, why’d you come here, unnie?” she asks, changing the subject and absentmindedly playing with the lock of hair Jieun trailed her hand on.

            “To see you, of course,” Jieun says, and Mina does not squeal for like the umpteenth time at that. (Gosh, when is she going to stop squealing internally like this?) “Your phone camera does not do you justice.”

            “Y-you could’ve told me,” Mina says, suddenly now very self-conscious of how she looks. “Then, we could’ve had more time to talk. The bus is coming in… about five minutes.” She had turned to check her watch.

            “I could’ve.” Jieun nods. Then she grins. “But I didn’t.”

            Mina puffs her cheeks and glares at Jieun, who just laughs at her expression.

            They fall into a comfortable silence.

            “This is where we first met, huh?” Jieun says, turning in front of her. “I didn’t even know your name until Jae told me.”

            “Huh?” Mina blinks at her. “But I told unnie when we met at the café? And how would Jae-oppa know my name?”

            Jieun laughs at that. “Truth be told, he had the biggest crush on you. Saw you at this same waiting shed when he got lost on the way home and told me all about it. He heard your name when some of your classmates called you. Then, he dragged me here three days later to go talk to you for him.

            “‘Course, he dragged me away before I could even say anything. Kept telling me I ‘did it again’, or whatever that meant. But it’s all good—he has someone else he likes now. Though they’re unofficial. Still, the bottom line is he doesn’t like you anymore and he has someone else to look at. Fortunate for him—”

            Jieun turns to Mina.

            “And fortunate for me,” she ends with a smile.

            Mina stares back at Jieun for a while, watching her straight hair hang and sway gently in the wind. Unlike Mina, her hair is long. Unlike Mina, she doesn’t have bangs. Unlike Mina, she—to her—

            “Mina-ya, do you wanna go on a date with me?”

            Mina abruptly stops, feeling her eyes widen at the question. And Jieun sees that and laughs, revealing her dimples yet again.

            “Yeah, I know—pretty forward, right?” she says. “And before you ask, yes, I mean the kind of date between boyfriends and girlfriends. Or boyfriends and boyfriends. Or girlfriends and girlfriends. Or partners and partners, what have you.”

            Mina is speechless. She literally feels like someone spelled her speech away, leaving her mute. And the colors—Mina can’t tell what color this situation is right now.

            “I guess it’s just—” Jieun turns away from Mina, then, looking forward. A car passes by. “Watching everyone around me falling in love—it made me realize that if I want something now, I gotta get it now. No delaying. No hesitating. And more importantly—”

            Jieun looks back at Mina, then, smiling at her.

            “No regrets.”

_No more._

            “So, Kim Mina,” Jieun starts with a smile, “will you go on a date with me?”

 

Colors. They’re everywhere. There isn’t a single thing in this universe that doesn’t have color—even transparency is considered a color nowadays, so there really is no escape to a creation’s pigmented fate.

            As colors are beautiful, they also have meaning, meanings that people attribute to them for when words are not enough. Blue is sadness; yellow is happiness. Red is love; black is hatred. A simple thing to think about and understand, especially for a person who sees the world in color.

            But sometimes, different shades and hues of the same color represent different things. A deep, sea blue is melancholy, but a bright, baby blue is innocence. An absolute black in its maxim is pure, surging hatred, but a glittery, shiny silver is sophistication and refinement.

            In this moment, at this moment, Mina is a pastel pink while Jieun is a rich red. While Mina is a warm orange, Jieun is a fiery one, flames wherever she steps on. And while Mina is an innocent, baby blue, Jieun is a regal and royal shade of blue, deep like the ocean, as Mina floats in the sky.

            And she supposes it isn’t a coincidence that at this same moment, Mina is reminded of a memory tinted a certain shade of blue, a certain shade of red, and a certain shade of black. A memory serving as a reminder. A memory that make her wonder, and wander, more.

            A palette of every day. The palette of every hour of her life.

            Colors. They’re everywhere. Always and always.

 

Tiny backpack? Check.

            Money? Check.

            Cellphone? Check.

            Favorite watch? Check.

            Pink dress ironed? Check.

            Hair dried? Check.

            Ready to go? Well…

            Mina stares at the mirror in front of her, stares at her hair and just how short it is. She passes a hand by it out of habit and finds it a bit longer than before.

            One, two, three.

            Four, five, six.

            Seven, eight, nine.

            And ten.

            Kim Mina, ready as she’ll ever be.

 

Cold air washes over her as the air conditioning of the mall changes the atmosphere between what’s outside and what’s inside, Mina holding onto her tiny backpack like it held the answers to the universe. There’s quite a number of people here, though not too crowded. Seeing the crowd mingling about brings a tiny smile on Mina’s face and she walks on and into the mall.

            Whipping her head around, she looks for a certain long-haired girl who, according to the text she just sent, is supposed to be standing at the base of the staircase leading up to—

            Mina finally spots her, and she feels her heart drop down to her stomach.

            She’s leaning on the railing, a pair of blue earphones hanging and attached to the phone in her hand. She’s wearing blue overall shorts over a white t-shirt and a silver necklace. She’s wearing a pair of brown boots, one crossed over the other, the same ones she wore when they re-met at the café.

            And Mina feels her heart constrict, her chest tighten and suffocate her, in a way that’s she’s been familiarized with for over five months now.

            She takes a deep breath and walks towards her, one hand holding the other, mind holding her heart.

            The girl notices her walking over and the widest grin spreads across her face.

            “Mina-ya!” she greets, removing her earphones as soon as she does, and putting them and her phone in her sling bag.

            “H-hi, unnie,” Mina greets a little, waving just as so.

            “Oh, my gosh, you look so adorable; I’m so soft,” Jieun gushes, looking down at Mina’s outfit and making her blush more than she needs to.

            She’s wearing a pink long-sleeved pleated dress cut just above the knee and white leggings, her favorite doll shoes topping it all off. A bracelet made up of heart-shaped beads wraps itself around her left wrist, while her watch finds itself on her right. In addition to that, she’s wearing the reddest, shyest natural blush on her face.

            “U-um, you look pretty, too, unnie…” Mina falters, feeling self-conscious about everything.

            She tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

            “Ah, right, about that,” Jieun suddenly says, reaching into her sling bag.

            She brings something out for Mina to see and she widens her eyes.

            “Hair clips?” she asks. There’s two of them, colored pink and blue. The pink one is shaped like a heart while the blue one is shaped like a diamond.

            Jieun hums in affirmation. “For you,” she says, nudging her open palms towards her.

            Mina opens her mouth to say something, but Jieun’s already beaten her to it.

            “And before you say something like you can’t accept this or whatever,” she interjects, and Mina closes her mouth, “just know that if you don’t accept it, you’ll be making a certain unnie very, very sad.”

            Jieun mock-pouts at that and Mina lets out a defeated laugh.

            “There’s no getting out of it, then, is there, unnie?”

            Jieun shakes her head, a laugh on her lips. “None whatsoever.”

            She reaches up and clips the heart on Mina’s right side and the diamond on Mina’s left side.

            “There,” she says when she’s done. “Now I’ll get a clearer view of that beautiful face every time I look at you.”

            Jieun smiles at her and Mina lets one pull up her face this time.     

            Jieun extends a hand.

            “Come on, let’s have fun today,” she says.

            Mina stares at the hand for a while, and when she does she is reminded of a certain café.

            She accepts it and says,

            “Sure, unnie. Let’s.”

 

“Alright, we’ve got about…” Jieun looks at her watch. “An hour and a half before the movie starts, so do you maybe wanna roam around for a bit?”

            Mina nods small, mind still on their linked hands even as they walk from the ticket booth and to the other parts of the mall.

            Mina had been the one to suggest to go to the movies for their date. She had originally suggested the amusement park because she heard that’s a good place for first dates, but Jieun had this weird look on her face.

            “What’s wrong, unnie?” Mina asked, burying her chin in her pillow, phone right in front of her displaying a very sullen-looking Jieun in her home.

            “Nothing, it’s just…” Jieun had a pout on her face. “That seat’s already taken.”

            Mina didn’t know what exactly she meant by that, but it seemed that she was really troubled by the idea of going to the amusement park (and Mina didn’t really mind because her parents would freak if she was within a fifty-meter radius around the Tentacle of Death. [She isn’t exactly sure what it’s called]) so she said,

            “What about the aquarium?”

            Jieun pouted again. “That one’s taken, too.”

            “The movies?”

            At that, Jieun suddenly sat up and looked at Mina as if she was the answer to the universe.

            “You’re both the cutest _and_ the smartest girl in the world,” she said, almost in awe, and Mina had to bury her face in her pillow to hide her embarrassment.

            Right now, the two of them pass by various shops and stalls in the mall: boutiques, departments stores, restaurants, book stores, a branch of a takoyaki stand Mina knows to have originated somewhere in Osaka, and a hardware store depicting many pink fairy lights at the front.

            “You have any place in mind you wanna go to?” Jieun asks, turning to her.

            “Not really, unnie.” Mina shakes her head. “I don’t really go to the mall much. I usually just stay at home.”

            “Do you?” Mina nods in reply. “What do you usually do at home?”

            “Oh, you know, homework and chores.” Mina looks down at her shoes, watches herself take one step forward in front of the other. “Pay the bills online at the end of every month. Cook and bake—”

            “You know how to bake?” Jieun suddenly asks excitedly and Mina turns to see her eyes glowing an excited shimmery and glittery pink, yellow, and blue.

            “Y-yeah.” Mina smiles small. “It’s kind of a passion of mine.”

            “What’s your favorite thing to bake?”

            “Creampuffs.”

            “Those are my favorite sweets—no way!” Jieun giggles a bit and Mina finds herself laughing a bit, too. “It’s like you were made for me.”

            Mina feels her heart constrict at that and she glances away, feeling shy. (Ahhh, when will this dynamic ever stop?)

            “W-well, I don’t know about that, unnie, but I could bake you some creampuffs, if you want,” she suggests, feeling giddy just thinking about it.

            “Would you really do that?” Jieun asks and when Mina nods a yes, she suddenly wraps Mina in a tight hug, making the mall suddenly a thousand degrees hotter than usual.       

            “Wahhh, you really are the best!” Jieun says, pressing her cheek against Mina’s and making her dizzy.

            “ _U-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-unnie_?” Mina splutters, not knowing what to do, or think, or not do, or not think, or—

            “Oh, sorry.” Jieun pulls away. “Forgot you get flustered easily.” She boops Mina’s nose. “Though, that _is_ one of the things I like about you.”

            She lets go of Mina and settles for holding her hand and walking on, on the way to Mina’s imminent death.

            “But what a coincidence that you bake, too,” Jieun says. “I guess I’m just into bakers.”

            “Oh, unnie, you, too?” Mina asks. “What’s your favorite thing to bake, then?”

            “Huh? Oh, no, no.” Jieun laughs a little. “It’s not me who bakes (and frankly, if I ever step even just one foot into a kitchen, I will probably burn the house down for a second time)—it’s my friend, Younghyun.”

            “Oh, who’s he? You’ve never mentioned him before.” She’s only ever talked about “Jae” and “Dowoonnie” and a certain “Café Noona”.

            “Just a classmate of mine,” Jieun answers. “I used to like him.”

            Mina stops short at that.

            “O-oh?” she says. “Really?”

            “He likes someone else now, though, so it didn’t really work out.” Jieun shrugs. “But it’s okay; I’m used to this sort of thing, so I don’t really get bothered much.”

            Mina feels a thousand questions run down her mind.

            “But how long ago did you find out that—”

            “Jieun? Jieun! It’s been a while!”

            Mina turns her attention away from Jieun to a woman walking towards the two of them, hair in a neat ponytail and lips red as roses. She recognizes her as the woman from the café.

            “Areum-unnie!” Jieun greets, waving with her free hand as Areum reaches them. “What are you doing here?”

            “Just canvassing for which brand of glow-in-the-dark stars is cheapest and best fit for an eighteen-year-old boy.”

            “Jae?” Jieun asks with a pointed gesture.

            “That would be Jaehyung, yes.” Areum notices the girl next to Jieun. “Oh, who’s this?” she asks with a smile directed at Mina.

            “This is Kim Mina, unnie,” Jieun introduces with a smile. “Mina, this is Go Areum-unnie.”

            “P-pleasure to meet you, unnie…” Mina bows down a little.

            “The pleasure is mine,” Areum says with a smile before turning to Jieun. “Are you two sisters?”

            “Actually…”

            Jieun places her head on Mina’s shoulder and wraps her arms loosely around her torso, sending a thousand sparks shooting across Mina’s body _and_ spine.

            “We’re on a date,” she says, and Mina can hear the wide smile in her voice.

            “Oh?” Areum says, looking pleasantly surprised. “I didn’t know you liked girls, Jieun.”

            “It’s called being bisexual, unnie. And frankly, I am done with men right now.”

            Areum breathes out a laughter at that, shaking her head. “Well, I don’t want to hold you up on your date,” she says. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Jieun. And it was nice meeting you, Mina.”

            They bid each other goodbye and both Mina and Jieun watch Areum leave, the sound of her heels clacking dimming with the distance.

            “She’s really pretty,” Mina comments.

            “Isn’t she?”

            “She’s Café Noona, right? Jaehyung-oppa’s girlfriend?”

            “ _Unofficial_ girlfriend, but yes—that would be her.”

            “Oppa is very lucky.”

            “ _Very_ lucky.”

            “Also, will you be letting go of me anytime soon, unnie?”

            “Nope.” Jieun squeezes her further. “You’ll have to kiss me to make me do that.”

            Yeah, Mina figures someone holding onto her for the rest of eternity isn’t _that_ much of a hassle, anyway.

 

Mina sits in the middle of a waffle shop at the center of the mall floor, the structure built like a tiny, roofless and wall-less house. She watches Jieun stand third in line, back towards Mina.

            In all honesty, Mina can’t believe they’re on a date right now. It had come all so quickly and in such an indecipherable blur that she’s never even had the time to let it settle that (1) Jieun likes her, (2) she likes her in a romantic way, and (3) _they’re on a freaking date!!!!_

            Mina buries her face in her hands, feeling the warmth spreading across her entire body. It really is unbelievable, like it’s too good to be true. How did it all fall into place so easily and perfectly? Why does Jieun even like her back? _How_ does she even like her back? When did she even start liking her and what on earth made her fall?

            Mina removes her hands from her face and turns to see Jieun standing second in line now, back still to her.

            She knows what made her fall for Jieun—the way she just called her pretty that day out of the blue. It had been the most surprising thing, the most abrupt of things, coming out of nowhere to take her by surprise, taking her aback.

            And taking her heart, right with it.

            Jieun had been incessantly on her mind ever since that day. She kept appearing and reappearing in her dreams and daydreams with her pretty smile, and the pretty dimples that came up when she smiled. The sound of her laughter even when she got dragged away. The sight of her long, flowy hair flying behind her as she walked away. The way she called her pretty so out of the blue like that and made Mina know it couldn’t have been anything else but meant.

            And now that Mina’s known her for almost a month, she can say that her previous crush had grown into something more. With every heart that Jieun sends her, and every time she greets her, “good morning, cutiepie”. With every photo of her posing with a peace sign to show Mina where she is that day. With every smile she sends her way. With every step they take with her hand holding hers, with every hug she gives her no matter how flustered it makes her.

            Every second with Jieun makes Mina fall for her even more and more and more.

            She wonders if it’s like that for her, as well.

            “And what is the cutest girl in the world doing looking like she’s contemplating the answer to the universe?”

            Mina looks up to see Jieun in the middle of sitting down in front of her, three waffles in her hand.

            “Oh, um, I was just, um, thinking.” Mina turns her attention to the waffles. “Did they give you an extra waffle, unnie?” she asks, changing the subject.

            “Oh, no, I bought an extra one for the both of us.” Jieun hands Mina a waffle twisted like a crepe, topped with whipped cream, strawberries, and strawberry syrup. “Here you go, Mina-yah. I made sure they put in extra cream and strawberries.”

            Mina smiles small as she receives it. “You didn’t threaten them or anything, did you, unnie?” she asks jokingly, but Jieun just shrugs.

            “Didn’t need to. Guy at the cashier owes me 300,000 won,” she says as she tears one of the waffles in half.

            Mina turns to the cashier guy in question, whose lips are even redder than Areum’s. She looks closer and reads the name tag. _Choi Seungcheol_. _Huh_.

            Mina turns to Jieun. “What did you get, unnie?”

            “One covered in green tea ice cream and one with ‘chocolate hazelnut spread’,” she says, putting air-quotes. “I don’t know why they bother with saying hazelnut spread when we all know it’s Nutella. Branding is such a cheap excuse.”

            Mina giggles at that. “Do you like hazelnut, unnie?” she asks, digging into her waffle.

            “Actually, no. I prefer green tea over anything else.” Jieun finishes halving the waffle. “It’s Younghyun who’s the chocolate connoisseur.”

            Mina stops herself, mid-bite.

            She asks, “Then, why’d you get that one, unnie?”

            “Thought you’d like it.” Jieun offers her a half of the hazelnut waffle. “Here you go, Mina-yah,” she says with a smile.

            Mina stares at her for a while. Then, she shakes her head.

            “It’s fine, unnie.” She bites on her waffle. “I don’t like Nutella.”

            “Oh, really?” Jieun lowers the waffle, reluctant. “I think you’re the first person I’ve ever met who doesn’t.”

            Mina swallows, feeling the redness of the strawberry in her mouth.

            “So, I guess you’ve met a lot of people, then, unnie?” she asks, taking another bite.

            “Uh, yeah,” Jieun starts slowly, and Mina knows she knows something’s up. “When you’ve lived for eighteen years, that sort of happens.”

            Mina purses her lips, mouth pressed onto her waffle but not having the energy to finish it. It’s her favorite flavor, but for some reason it tastes a bit off.

            She feels a hand cup her cheek.

            “Hey,” Jieun asks, sounding concerned, “is there something wrong?”

            Mina glances up at her and finds a tiny bit of blue in Jieun’s brown eyes. When she sees that, she thinks, _Maybe if I can find blue in brown, maybe there’s still a chance to find pink in gray._

            “Nothing, unnie,” Mina tries with a smile. “This waffle just tastes funny.”

            “ _Seungcheol, you are in big trouble_!” Jieun calls, putting down her hand and stomping her way over to the cash register, making the guy flinch in fear.

            And Mina looks back at her, at the way she angrily argues with Seungcheol, at how he looks like he’s about to cry. At the way everyone else in line takes a step back in fear. Hears the way she says, “That girl over there deserves more than some funny-tasting waffle, so you better give me nothing short of the best, or I am telling the track club your secret!”

            Mina’s sure she’s never met anyone like her before.

            She just hopes she’s right.

 

“Is the waffle better now?” Jieun asks, turning to Mina.

            Mina takes a bite of the waffle lathered in strawberry syrup, caramel, and chocolate stripes, overflowing (but not overflowing too much) with strawberries, blueberries, and banana slices, and topped with rainbow sprinkles and swirls of whipped cream.

            She contemplates the taste for a moment.

            “It’s okay,” Mina says, taking another bite.

            “Cheol, you are not sleeping at all tonight,” Jieun mutters darkly and ominously to herself, crossing her arms and leaning back on the movie seat.

            The theatre is now almost brimming with people, only a few minutes before the lights fully dim down and the film finally starts. They had chosen the movie by process of elimination: “What’s on the Inside” was too graphic of a horror movie; “Coming for Your Heart” was two years ahead of Mina’s time; and “Oh, Oppar” was just—no. Just no.

            In the end, they settled for a romance drama where the lead is a rich heiress while the love interest is a new arrival to Seoul from the southern-west.

            “Unnie, it’s fine,” Mina says, finally finished with her second waffle of the day. “That oppa’s already been punished.”

            “Clearly, not enough,” Jieun grumbles, arms still crossed.

            Mina stares at her for a moment, and today she’s done so much of that that she sees a tiny patch of pink just underneath Jieun’s chin—a birthmark, that looks like an imperfect crescent. Or a diamond, if one wants to reach that far.

            She takes a deep breath, and counts from one to ten, before adjusting in her seat and resting her head on Jieun’s shoulder.

            The older freezes for a moment, surprised, and Mina can feel her eyes on her, questioning.

            “Can you not think of that oppa while we’re on our date?” Mina asks, voice soft.

            Jieun doesn’t say anything for a while, but then Mina feels an arm wrap around her shoulder.

            “Of course, I can, Mina-yah,” she says. “Besides, Seungcheol’s a pain in the butt anyway—I’d be glad not to think of him for another second.”

            It wasn’t the exact thing Mina was asking for, but she supposes this is fine, too.

            The room finally dims down to darkness, making everyone in the room color-blind until the movie screen lights up and the first words of the movie are heard.

_“She was the reason for every smile I made.”_

            Seconds pass by and then minutes. With Mina keeping her head on Jieun’s shoulder and Jieun’s arm wrapped around Mina’s. If she could, she’d fall asleep right there, keeping herself under Jieun’s hold, trusting her to keep her safe, make her feel safe, just the two of them.

            And there’s something about moments like this, with letting yourself be held for the sake of someone holding you, with letting that someone rest their head on yours because you love the feeling of being close to them, so close that there’s no more room to fall.

            Moments where it’s okay to be small. Moments where it’s okay to be vulnerable. Moments where it’s okay to open your heart up even if that means welcoming everything that could ever hurt you.

            She figures she likes moments like this. She likes the quiet when words don’t have anything else to say. She likes the warmth of Jieun’s hand and she likes the comfort of her shoulder. She likes the colors that bleed as ink into the canvas around her, because the pigments are enough to tell her everything. When words don’t have anything more to say.

 _“Why do you even like him?”_ says the male antagonist of the movie. “ _He isn’t famous, he has no money—he isn’t like us!”_

 _“You mean he isn’t like you!”_ the female lead counters. _“You mean he isn’t arrogant, or selfish, or self-centered. You mean he’s someone that I’m actually in love with—you mean he isn’t like you!”_

            “Unnie,” Mina starts, “why do you like me?”

            Jieun doesn’t say anything for a while, the sounds of the movie more like background music to Mina.

            “Why do I like you?” Jieun asks, removing her head from Mina’s to look at her directly.

Mina hums in response, looking back at her. And Jieun looks back, blue in her brown eyes.

            She presses her forehead against Mina’s.

            “Because it makes me so happy,” she says, “to know someone likes me like you do.”

            They stare at each other for a while.

            And then, Jieun leans in.

            Colors. They’re everywhere. Always and always.

            Colors depict emotions. Different shades depict different things.

            And sometimes, things that are always colored a certain way can change with the color.

            Yellow laughter painted purple is arrogance and envy. A song’s sad lyrics can become happy with the melody.

            And pink tears mean you’re happy.

            And Mina loves being happy. She loves smiling and laughing and seeing other people do the same. She likes the feeling of love and being in love and the idea of someone else doing the same. She likes her hair being tucked behind her ear and likes her cheek being caressed and loves the hand holding hers.

            And she wants for this moment to stay forever. She wants for her lips to reach her and paint the world a gradient from yellow to pink. She wants to tell her she likes her and maybe could even love her, if she’d let her heart have the time to grow from there. She wants to keep smiling and laughing because of her, getting shy and flustered because of her, and feel so in love because of her.

            She wants to; she really does.

            But, unfortunately, her tears are painted blue.

            And Mina pulls away before Jieun could color her lips.

            Jieun looks at her, surprised.

            “Mi—”

            And the she widens her eyes, seeing Mina’s face reflecting the lights of the movie.

            “I’m sorry,” Mina whispers, whispering the most she can do when there’s a sob coming up her throat. “I’m sorry; I have to go.”

            And Mina stands up to leave, hands trying desperately to wipe the tears streaming down her face, but they keep coming. They keep coming, they keep coming, and Mina doesn’t know when they’ll stop.

            “Mina!” she hears Jieun call behind her, and she runs—out the movie theatre, out the mall, into the streets of the district area, and away, away, away.

            Gray roads, gray buildings, gray signposts. Gray trees, gray cats, gray people. Gray tears, gray hearts, and gray love. Gray, gray love.

            “Mina!” she hears Jieun call behind her, and she doesn’t want to face her, not now, not ever.

            “Mina, _please_ , just tell me what’s wrong!” Her voice sounds heartbroken and breathy, like she’s been running, chasing after Mina like she ever really wanted to.

            Mina spots a bus in a distance and she runs faster, not wanting to wait for a stop, wanting for all of this to.

            She sees the bus driver notice her running and sees the bus start to pull over.

            “Mina, I’m sorry!” she hears Jieun yell behind her. “I’m sorry, just please tell me what I did wrong!”

            And finally, Mina turns back to see the girl she’s liked for five months now, the girl who called her pretty and meant it, the girl who’s made her feel so much love in just a short amount of time.

            And she stops, she does, and Jieun does, too, finally reaching her.

            “Mina, what’s—”

            “Unnie, I like you,” Mina says, reaching up to remove something from her hair.

            “Mina—”

            “Unnie, I really, really do,” she says, and she grabs Jieun’s hand to put something in it.

            When Jieun looks, she sees it’s the hairclips she gave her before, to her colored pink and blue, but to Mina colored gray.

            “I just don’t want to,” she says, letting the paint drip down her face, only one color evident.

            And she turns away, walking towards the bus and knowing no one is coming after her.

            She gets on the bus, sits in the front, and feels the vehicle drive away.

            And that moment, a color that isn’t gray feels up her entire heart, suffocating her until she can’t breathe, squeezing her heart, hard, hard, hard.

            She bends down and buries her face in her knees, letting the blue paint fill up the entire bus and leave drops of it trailing on the road behind them. She sobs and cries and wails in pain because she never knew how much it would hurt to have her heart sink after it finally went afloat.

            And when she comes home, and her parents see her covered in blue paint, she runs up to them and cries until the bucket’s empty. She doesn’t tell them why but all they need to know is that their baby’s hurt and they’re not going to move until she’s smiling again.

            They buy her favorite sweets and wrap her up in a blanket and let her fall asleep after three movies. And her father picks her up from the living room floor and her mother kisses her on the forehead when she’s settled in bed and they turn off the lights to let her dream peacefully.

            And that night Mina dreams of a girl with long hair, holding her hand and laughing with her, the entire world colored pink and orange. Warm and pastel. Like sunlight and blush on her cheeks.

            Colors are everywhere, always and always, and Mina is someone who sees the world in color.

            But she lowers her brush and lets the canvas stay white, wondering if being a painter really is the life for her.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- :^)  
> \- im sorry
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	29. A morning of talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Younghyun's father bursts into Younghyun's room to find Dowoon about to kiss him and no, this isn't awkward at all.

Often times when the two of them sleep together on the same bed, it’s always Younghyun who wakes up first and foremost.

            For some reason, the boy’s natural body clock always woke him up at the exact same moment when sunlight decided it was time to pass through the windows and shine on the room without any aid of a light bulb. Sometimes, he’d walk out the room to cook something for Dowoon; other times, he’d gently shake the boy a bit to wake him up because either his parents or Dowoon’s mother already had something prepared.

            Either way, Dowoon would always end up being awoken with the sight of a smile in front of him, the sound of a voice telling him it’s time to get up, and the smell of something good cooking in the kitchen. Either way, Dowoon would wonder if it really was the right time to be woken up when it still looked like nighttime in front of him, the stars down here and staring right at him.

            But not this time.

            This time, it’s Dowoon who’s looking straight at the stars lying down on the bed, Younghyun’s hair messed up and sticking out in different directions. This time, it’s Dowoon who gets to see the way he looks like with his eyes closed, with the way his breaths comes out slow and even, the way his cheeks are just slightly pink because of it. This time, it’s Dowoon who gets to see Younghyun in his most innocent state, the boy’s arm still loosely wrapped around Dowoon’s torso, still so close to him even when he’s asleep and he’s awake.

            And the sight of it makes a smile slowly crawl up Dowoon’s face, something grabbing his heart and squeezing it, hard. He doesn’t even try to push down his grin this time—just lets the happy soak into his chest and leave him wanting to stare at this boy, at his _boyfriend_ , forever and ever and ever.

            He reaches out with a hand slowly and just brushes his fingers against Younghyun’s cheek, careful to not wake him up. It’s a wonder how this amazing person in front of him is someone he can call his, someone who loves him, and loves him _back_ of all things. How lucky Dowoon can be to have fallen in love with this boy, and how luckier he was to have his feelings returned.

            Dowoon recalls a night from before, sometime between one to two weeks ago. How he kissed every portion of Younghyun’s face until there was nothing left un-kissed, how he had buried his face in his chest, knowing Younghyun got the message before his words were even said. That’s just the kind of boy he is, Dowoon supposed. The kind of boy who knows what you’re trying to say before you even say it.

            “I love you,” Dowoon whispers to him now, feeling a warmth come over his cheeks now that he can say it without denying it or feeling like he wants to hide behind a bush.

            And though it still makes him somewhat embarrassed, those three words leaving his mouth makes a grin play on his lips, so happy to finally say it, so happy to finally be able to.

            “I love you,” he whispers again and realizes just how true it is, how true it had been since the day Younghyun pulled him by the wrist so many months ago, so many nights ago. How come he’s never let himself say it before? Why was he so embarrassed to admit something that was as light as day, as obvious as the answer to 1 + 1, when every action Dowoon did pointed to nothing less than the love he has for him, for Younghyun, for the boyfriend he loves so much?

            All this time Dowoon’s told him, “I like you,” when nothing could even come close to this feeling he has for Younghyun, where “love” is the only thing that does. And god, the feeling of telling him this, of letting Younghyun know exactly how he feels for him, is better than anything Dowoon can imagine.

            “I love you,” he whispers. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

            And he does. He does, he does, he does.

            He’ll keep saying it, never needing to hide in his mind any longer.

            Younghyun stirs in his sleep a little, eyebrows furrowing slightly, and Dowoon breathes out a laughter, finding him cute, cute, cute.

            “Wake up, Younghyun. I love you,” he says, poking his cheek a little.

            Younghyun just mumbles something incomprehensible, which is a tall-tell sign that he’s still asleep because Younghyun would never not make a reaction to Dowoon telling him those three words.

            (Seriously. If Dowoon is ever presented with an evil duplicate of Younghyun, all he needs is to say, “I love you,” and if one immediately falls apart to the floor in a heap of embarrassed warmth, he’ll know, “That’s him. That’s the love of my life.”)

            Dowoon smiles a little and lifts Younghyun’s arm off him, sitting up and stretching a little. He turns to look back at Younghyun, who’s still sleeping but now looks like he’s trying to reach out for something, as if someone stole something from him and he’s trying to get whatever it is back.

            “Dowoon…” Younghyun mumbles. “Come… back… we still… have to… defeat the… scarlet… witch…”

            Dowoon breathes out a laughter at that, liking seeing this side of Younghyun. He wants to keep seeing it for a long time.

            He leans down, ready to give Younghyun a kiss good morning—

            The door slams open in a loud _THUD!_

            “YOUNGHYUN, WAKE UP AND PULL YOUR WEIGHT YOUNG M—”

            Dowoon abruptly turns back with a jolt and wide eyes, staring back at Younghyun’s father, who had cut himself off in the middle of his sentence. In the midst of it all, Younghyun continues to sleep soundly, somehow.

            “Uh… honey?” Mr. Kang says after a pause, turning his head slightly out the door, “You didn’t tell me Dowoonnie had come over yesterday.”

            Silence falls over the room.

            “… Oh, shoot,” comes the tiny reply of Mrs. Kang in the distance, and a wave of warmth spreads itself across Dowoon’s entire body, making the room hot, hot, hot.

            So much for never regretting being so openly in love with Younghyun, now, huh.

 

“Thank you for helping me bring this week’s batch of dolls over to our house, Dowoonnie,” Mr. Kang says as they walk down the hill-like roads of the neighborhood. “I’d ask Younghyun-ah to do it, but that kid sleeps like a rock if he doesn’t wake up on his own and I don’t have the patience—or the back—to deal with that boy today.”

            “N-no problem, sir,” Dowoon says, a bit timid, holding two giant plastic bags filled with stuffed toys in both hands.

            They had just left what looked to Dowoon like a tiny, middle-sized factory with just enough workers to make about a hundred stuffed animals in a day. It was a bit dusty and a tiny bit cramped, but the way the workers lit up when Younghyun’s father entered the room made it seem like Dowoon walked in a mansion or something, seeing them pat the man on the back and greet him like they’d been friends for centuries.

            “Who’s this, Kang?” one of the workers said, nudging his head towards Dowoon, who had been awkwardly standing by (sticking his back to) the wall, not knowing what else to do. “Did you replace your kid?”

            Younghyun’s father laughed. “In a way, maybe,” he said, shoulders moving up and down with his chuckle. “He’s my future son-in-law.”

            Dowoon choked on his own spit, spluttering for about a minute or two.

            “Wait, I didn’t know little Younghyun was gay,” the man said, furrowing his eyebrows.

            “Did you really?”

            The man opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.

            “Huh,” he said. “I guess I did.”

            Younghyun’s father patted him on the back.

            “Don’t worry, Junjin-ah,” he said. “I only found out when he was in middle school.”

            “Sorry I barged in on you earlier,” Younghyun’s father apologizes to Dowoon, back in the present. “If I had known you’d came over, I wouldn’t have even tried to wake him up like that. At least until you left the room.”

            Dowoon breathes out a laughter at that. “Do you always wake Younghyun up like that, sir?”

            He chuckles. “You betcha,” he says. “Like I said, that boy sleeps like a rock. But it’s a good thing he’s been waking up on his own these days before I could do it for him. His natural body clock must’ve adjusted—which is good. It’ll be difficult for him if he keeps being such a deep sleeper. What if there’s an emergency and he just sleeps right through it? I can’t even imagine what could happen to him. Better to be safe than sorry.”

            Dowoon keeps a small smile on his face as they keep walking. So, his father yells at his son to wake up in the morning to make sure he’s always ready for anything… What a funny way to take care of someone.

            “He’s been good to you, I hope?” Mr. Kang says, turning to Dowoon. “I mean, I know my son—there’s probably no one else in the world who’s as loving as him (except, maybe my wife, Hyunjoon. He mostly takes after her, you know) but he’s just so secretive when it comes to talking about the both of you as a couple.”

            “Really, sir?”

            “Uh-huh. Did you know I had to contact his friend Jieun a few days ago to even know you two even _went_ on a date—and apparently it had been _months_ ago!”

            Dowoon frowns. “Did Jieun make you pay a fee for that information, sir?”

            “Yeah, 2,000 won.”

            “I apologize on her behalf.”

            “Nah, it’s okay—the money was worth it.” Mr. Kang shakes his head. “He brags about you non-stop but when me and my wife ask him if the song he’s been writing is about you, suddenly he has a stomachache. (I blame Hyunjoon for that excuse.)”

            “W-well…” Dowoon blushes. “H-he’s been teaching me how to do the chores, lately…”

            “Aish, Younghyun-ah, that’s not romantic at all—step up your game,” his father mutters bitterly under his breath.

            “B-but he’s really helped me a lot with that sort of thing,” Dowoon says, feeling a tiny urge to defend his boyfriend. “I’m not really well-acquainted with doing the chores, and cooking, and doing anything… adult-like, I guess. My parents never let me do that sort of thing. They always raised me to never lift a finger and never have to do work because I was too precious, I guess. And in the eyes of a parent, I guess I’d think that way for my child, too.

            “But then Younghyun comes in and starts making my bed for me and it always amazes me how he gets the sheet so smoothened out like that. He cooks food and washes the dishes and sweeps the floor, and somehow never ends up breaking anything. And when he leaves the house, for some reason, it always looks so much cleaner than before. Like he did a bit of extra work without me knowing.

            “Watching him do all that made me wanna learn how he does it. Why he does it. Why he doesn’t mind getting so tired and dusty at the end of the day just to clean up a single room. Not only that but seeing him so work so hard made me wanna work as hard, too. And to ease his burden, even just a little bit.

            “I still suck at doing the chores and I’ve broken so many things, but Younghyun always tells me I did a good job nonetheless. He answers my questions, guides me when I don’t know what to do, and has never gotten angry with me, ever. He’s so patient, and he’s so loving, and I—I—if that isn’t the most romantic thing in the world I don’t know what is.”

            Dowoon has more to say, millions of thoughts really, but he has a limit when it comes to these sort of things—a limit that becomes even shorter when it’s his boyfriend’s father he’s talking to.

            But then his boyfriend’s father bursts into laughter and Dowoon almost drops the stuffed toys because of it.

            “You two really are perfect for each other!” he says, still laughing. “When he talks about you, it’s always so long and elaborate—I thought that there couldn’t have _not_ been a time when you got tired of listening to him speak, but it seems like you’re exactly the same as him!”

            Dowoon blinks for a while, still recovering from Mr. Kang’s outburst, but finds himself laughing along, anyway.

            Mr. Kang sighs wistfully. “Ah, but it really is like Younghyun to teach you about that sort of thing. You’d think a normal boyfriend would settle with giving you flowers—” Dowoon recalls the roses Younghyun brought him a week ago— “or buying you chocolate—” Dowoon recalls all the banana milk bottles he’s drank almost every single day of the week— “or bringing you to the movies—” Dowoon recalls the movie marathon the two of them had at his place in which the both of them watched indifferently at two college kids getting murdered in a forest— “or, you know, just plainly giving you a kiss—” Oh, look, it’s suddenly Summer, for some reason— “but I guess we’re slightly to blame for that, me and Hyunjoon.”

            Dowoon looks up at Mr. Kang, who has a melancholic smile on his face.

            “It’s our fault he grew up before he even knew what growing up meant,” he says, smiling down at Dowoon.

            “He must’ve told you about how our family situation was like before, hm?” Mr. Kang continues. “A couple of college seniors with no money, no home, no family—except for the baby on the way. It was difficult, both on our parts and his, and so many sacrifices were made just so we would keep a roof over our head. It’s a miracle we got through it, and I’m proud to say we got stronger and wiser because of it, but there are just some things I just can’t stop blaming myself for.

            “You know how sometimes it feels like Younghyun is an old man in a young boy’s body? Well, it’s one of the few things Hyunjoon and I regret about raising him. Putting him under so many responsibilities… a young boy should be running around, playing with his toys, and making a mess out of everything just because it’s fun to do. But he rarely got to, since the old house was so cramped. If he made a mess with something that’s already a mess… well, that’d be just chaos, wouldn’t it?

            “We just wished we could’ve given him a funner childhood. One with less tax talk and how much money we need for the next month. Wish he had more toys as a kid. He didn’t have any, really.

            “It always broke our heart when he’d ask for something and we’d always tell him no. We wanted to—we really, really wanted to—but we just couldn’t afford it. Thoughts like, ‘If only we had enough money, then we could buy everything he wanted.’ In hindsight, maybe spoiling him rotten would’ve been the worst decision on mankind, but as a parent, what more could you want than to see your child smile so widely like that?”

            Younghyun’s father chuckles a bit, like he’s reminiscing everything. Reliving the moment right before his eyes.

            “Did you know that Younghyun-ah was obsessed with gundam models?” he asks. “Every time we’d pass by a toy shop, he’d stop and press his face onto the glass windows and just stare at the gundam models displayed. And sometimes, he’d whine so loudly when we had to pull him away from the shop. One time, he even ended up crying because of it, clinging to Hyunjoon’s arms for comfort even when it was those exact same arms who pulled him away from the gundam. He always wanted one. He didn’t need to tell us for us to know.

            “So, one day, we decided that we were going to save up for a gundam model. Just one. It was expensive, but we thought, ‘If we can give him just this, then we can be happy.’ The next day, we showed Younghyun an empty jar and told him we were going to put lots of coins in the jar, so he could have the gundam he’d always wanted. We told him he had to be patient for it, because saving up was going to be hard.

            “We thought he was either going to throw a fit or tell us he was willing to wait. We were prepared for both reactions. We knew what we had to say.

            “But you know what he said instead? He said, ‘But, Mom, Dad, how are we going to eat a gundam?’”

            Laughter leaves his lips, though Dowoon sees a few tears drop down on the ground with it.

            “It was the most child-like thing to ask.” Mr. Kang smiles. “But we almost broke down crying because of it. We realized that Younghyun-ah—our little, little boy—at that moment had stopped thinking about himself and started thinking about the people around him. He cared more about having food on the table than having a toy to play with. God, it still makes me tear up sometimes.”

            Mr. Kang blinks a little more than necessary.

            “You must’ve noticed it, hm? How he always puts others first? How much he gives to others and yet how little he saves for himself. It’s admirable, and if that’s the reason why you fell in love with him, I can understand. But it’s also scary. He’s so kind and loving but so many people in this world can take advantage of that. Take all of it for granted.

            “Ah, I’m not saying you’re one of those people, Dowoonnie. I just really, really care about my son. Love him to bits and would give the world to him, if we could afford it. Baby him if he’d just let us for once. Because no matter how old he is—eight, eighteen, eighty—he will always be that baby who wrapped his tiny hand around my finger. Whose first word was his own name because we said it so much he caught on. He will always be my son, no matter what.

            “Ahhh, I always get so sentimental talking about Younghyun-ah’s baby days, aish,” Mr. Kang says loudly, shaking his head in annoyance. “No one wants to hear an old man talk about such sad stuff… maybe I should talk about how he doesn’t know modern teen slang when me and Hyunjoon do—and we’re a pair of fourty-year-olds. You don’t mind if I roast him?”

            Dowoon giggles. “No, I don’t, sir,” he says, laughing.

            “Call me ‘Dad’.” Mr. Kang grins down at him. “You’re going to be my future son-in-law after all.”

            Dowoon chokes on his spit once more.

            “You can’t run away from it, you know!” Mr. Kang laughs. “Even your mom said she was okay with it. It’s your destiny, Dowoonnie—and destiny calls whoever it shall!”

            Younghyun’s father laughs out loud once again, and Dowoon is reminded of how well the man was received in the factory earlier. If a son is a reflection of his father, then Mr. Kang must be the best man alive.

            Dowoon takes a deep breath.

            “I love Younghyun,” he says, ignoring the warmth spreading to his ears.

            “Oh?” Mr. Kang says, sounding amused. “Suddenly?”

            Dowoon turns to him. “I told him about one or two weeks ago.”

            “That explains why he was in such a good mood then,” Mr. Kang mumbles.

            “I love him,” Dowoon continues, “very, very much. So, if you have any worry, then you can throw them all out the window.”

            He stops in his tracks, looking at Younghyun’s father straight in the eye.

            “Because I promise you that you’ll never regret letting me be together with him,” he says.

            “Please take care of me well!” Dowoon finishes with a bow, feeling his heart beat loudly in his chest.

            He hears a breath of laughter and Dowoon looks back up, to see a familiar expression smiling down at him.

            “You’ve made Younghyun-ah happier than we’ve seen him ever be,” Mr. Kang says. “As if we’ll be doing anything less.”

            Mr. Kang bows down at Dowoon, too.

            “Take care of my son well,” he says.

            Dowoon feels his heart swell up a hundred times over, needing to push down a wide, wide smile on his face.

            “I will.”

 

“Oh, you’re back!” Mrs. Kang says with a smile when they enter the apartment, hauling in the bags. She’s situated at the kitchen, cooking something on the gas range and letting in a delicious aroma swimming around in the air. “Younghyun-ah!” She turned her head a little. “Your dad and boyfriend are ba—”

            Younghyun practically yeets himself out of his room, nyooming himself towards their direction.

            “Woah, that’s a lot more than usual,” he says, a little breathlessly because of how he ran. He goes to help his father put his bags down before going to Dowoon. “You didn’t get too tired, did you?” he asks him, grabbing his bags and placing them next to the others.

            “N-not really,” Dowoon says, trying his best to keep his breathing even.

            Younghyun stares at him for a moment. Then, he pushes at Dowoon’s forehead gently with one finger.

            Dowoon nearly stumbles, if it were not for Younghyun grabbing his shoulders immediately.

            “Come on, sit down and I’ll get you a glass of water,” Younghyun says, and he pulls out a chair for Dowoon to sit on.

            Dowoon downs about three glasses of water and Younghyun goes to sit next to him, a sigh leaving his lips.

            “You could’ve woken me up, you know,” he says and when Dowoon looks, he can see him trying to not make it seem like he’s worrying too much, knowing that Dowoon would probably feel bad if Younghyun felt bad about it. But he’s shaking his left leg, telling Dowoon the exact opposite. “You get tired way easier than I do.”

            “I wanted to help your dad,” Dowoon says, fingers still wrapped around his glass. “Besides—”

            He looks down at the rim of the cup.

            “You look cute when you sleep,” Dowoon says, feeling a blush come on. “I didn’t wanna wake you up.”

            Dowoon glances up to see Younghyun staring at him with the reddest face known to mankind, looking speechless. Dowoon would’ve kissed him right then and there, if his parents weren’t in the room and looking at the both of them, amused.

            “Dowoonnie, you should come every day,” Mr. Kang calls out from where he stands with a grin by the kitchen. “I need to see more of this happen.”

            Younghyun splutters, embarrassed, and Dowoon laughs despite his own embarrassment.

            “Will do, sir,” he replies.

            “Ah-ah, what did I tell you earlier?” Mr. Kang says, raising an eyebrow.

            “Sorry, I mean…” Dowoon scratches his jaw, sheepish. “Dad.”

            Younghyun whips his head towards Mr. Kang. “He’s calling you ‘Dad’ now?” Younghyun whips his head back to Dowoon. “You’re calling Dad ‘Dad’ now?” he asks, incredulous.

            “I’ll have to, eventually.” Dowoon shrugs. “Since I’m his future son-in-law.”

            Younghyun drops his entire weight onto the table with a loud _BAM!_ as his parents holler and high-five in the background, looking like they’re having the time of their lives.

            “I don’t know if this is the best or the worst day of my life…” comes Younghyun’s muffled reply, neck red, red, red.

            Dowoon just laughs at that, patting him on the back and letting him lament/rejoice in his own time. He supposes he should give him a break—he isn’t used to Dowoon being like this, after all.

            But as he leans in to whisper something in his ear, Dowoon figures just one more thing couldn’t hurt.

            “Hey, Younghyun,” he says.

            “… What,” he says, face still planted on the table.

            Dowoon grins.

            “I love you.”

            Younghyun abruptly lifts his tomato-red face from the table and mechanically walks towards his room, not bothering to lock the door.

            “ _Aaand_ he’s hiding under the blanket covers,” Younghyun’s mother says, watching her son through the doorway from where she stands. She turns to Dowoon and gives him a thumbs-up and a grin. “You did a great job, kid.”

            It seems Dowoon doesn’t regret being so openly in love with Younghyun, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- dw hasnt told yk he loves him for 29 chapters rn you bet your ass hes gonna keep saying it every freaking chance he gets  
> \- also yes the dolls are the day6 mascots aksjdhak  
> \- also yes to dw declaring his love for his boyfriend in front of said boyfriend's father we stan  
> \- also yes to flustered younghyun finally making an appearance once again i think the last time he appeared was ch 8 band practice???? amazing
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	30. Of angels and wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Areum thinks about Jaehyung and everything in between.

Areum watches amused at the way Jaehyung is glaring so comically serious at something beyond the window, as if there’s a stain on the glass so awfully awful and annoyingly annoying that it’s offending him in the worst way possible.

            “You know, I’ve been told that staring and glaring at windows does not, in fact, make them disappear,” she says and Jaehyung abruptly stops staring, finally looking back at Areum, though now with a more sheepish look.

            “Sorry, noona,” he apologizes, scratching behind his neck. “I guess I got distracted.”

            “By what, though?” This time, Areum turns to the window, only the shops and a few kids across the street hanging out and talking.

            “Ugh, there’s just this kid named Jamie who’s like literally the most annoying person in the universe.” Areum glances to see Jaehyung in the middle of an eye-roll. She glances back to the window with an amused smile, letting him continue, “She keeps ordering all the brownies from ‘Wakey-Wakey, Eggs and Cakey’ literally three times a week and whenever I try to buy some they’re always out of them! I have to return the next day to even just get one brownie and ughhh, she’s just so _annoying_.”

            Areum spots a group of kids just in front of the aforementioned bakeshop and she points a finger to one of them.

            “That wouldn’t be her, would it?” she asks, referring to the girl who’s a lot shorter than the other members of the group. She’s wearing a middle school uniform and a red checkered beret, holding onto a gigantic box of what Areum assumes to be brownies.

            “ _Ugh_. Yeah, that’s her, alright,” Jaehyung bitterly says. “The little twerp.”

            Areum finally lets out a laugh. “You have bad blood with a middle schooler?”

            “She’s not just a middle schooler, noona—she’s an absolute nightmare!” Jaehyung protests. “The first time I met her, I asked her if she could at least give me one box if I’d pay for it, and all she told me was, ‘ _Better luck next time, bamboo skewer_.’” (He had said this in English and in a British accent.) “Basically, she called me weak, noona! I had to learn an entire language to even understand what she said! She’s just so—argh, she’s looking at me with that look again!”

            Areum sees Jamie turn and lock eyes with Jaehyung across the street—and watches the most arrogant and cat-caught-the-canary smirk come up her face. Then, she flips her hair and sashays away, the other members of her little group following her in stride.

            “God, I hate her,” Jaehyung says, eyebrow twitching. “One day, Jamie. One. Freaking. Day.”

            Areum lets a smile play on her lips as Jaehyung mutters bitterly under his breath, trying her best not to laugh in favor of the boy’s pride. He really does know the best way to make her laugh, doesn’t he?

            She remembers the first time Jaehyung had made her laugh. It had been so, so many months ago, and Areum remembers this well because it had been the first time she met Jaehyung. Wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt and a watch on his left wrist. Wearing a pair of blue jeans over some brightly colored neon blue shoes. And the most nervous-looking smile on his face.

            Areum has always been used to such nervous looks on people’s faces whenever they order something from her. She’s well aware of the kind of effect she has on the people around her and knows exactly why people tend to stutter and turn red around her, boys and girls alike. She tries to ignore it most of the time, tries to hold back the sigh that wants to leave her lips because of how tired she is of it. The feeling that everyone puts you on such a high level that no one dares to try and approach you without looking away, as if you’re some foreign alien out of everyone’s league. Areum doesn’t like that feeling at all, really. To always be treated as if you’re so precious that you’re untouchable… it is a very lonely life to have.

            So, when that boy stuttered while getting his order, Areum thought he was just another one pf those people who looked at her through rose-tinted glasses, seeing the part of her that’s on the surface and thinking that’s who she is on the inside. Just another Tuesday.

            “U-u-um, c-could I-I h-h-have a... uh…”

            The boy’s eyes had shook so much that Areum thought they might fall out of his face, but then he was slamming a finger on the menu on the counter.

            “This one!” he almost yelled. “The… um… wait, holy frick, _70,000 won?_ ”

            The boy was staring down at his order, the absolute shock on his expression as light as day.

            “Holy frick—what would you even put in these to make it up to 70,000 won?” The boy’s voice had spiked up then, and Areum had to bite her lips, forcing down a laughter. _“When a woman laughs, Areum, it’s with a closed mouth and behind a modest hand.”_

            “For that one, sir, we import all the ingredients—”

            “From where? Freaking Jupiter? The house of the queen Nicki Minaj?” The boy had looked up incredulous at Areum. “Why do you even need to import all this stuff when you could get all of these in our own freaking country? You could literally order a truckload of oranges from my best friend’s farm—does this café not have any Korean pride?”

            At that, Areum finally burst out laughing, mouth wider than she’s ever let herself make it, voice louder than anyone would ever expect for it to be. The boy was so comically serious, so comically passionate about the whole thing—and it all made Areum laugh so hard in the first time in ages.

            And then, she abruptly cut herself off, suddenly well-aware of the eyes staring at her in the café. Looking at her like she’s an alien. But not for the reason they used to.

            When she looked back at this boy, she thought he’d be mirroring their faces. Shocked. Surprised.

            When she looked back at the boy, she saw that he was shocked. And that he also was surprised.

            But not for the reason she thought he would.

            Because that boy was looking at her mesmerized, in awe, lips apart. Like her laughing was the prettiest thing in the world. Like the wider it was, the better. When all her life she’s been told to never laugh like that, ever.

            “I like your laugh…” the boy said, voice faltering, as if a hidden thought somehow found its way out of his lips.

            At that moment, Areum felt something touch her heart. At that moment, Areum was changed, just a little . At that moment, Areum thought, _Maybe laughing so much isn’t that bad, after all_.

            And then the boy snapped out of it and started spluttering again, realizing what he just said.

            “I-I-I-I mean, I don’t like your laug—w-well I d—I-I mean, I didn’t mean to say th—I mean—I mean—I mean—”

            The boy panicked for a good ten seconds before saying, “Y-y-you know what? I’m broke, anyway, I probably shouldn’t buy something I can’t afford—wooh! Is it hot in here or is it just me—hahahaIcantbelieveIjustsaidthathahaha—a-anyway, have a great day bye!”

            He sped out of the café so quickly that it was a miracle he didn’t trip on the way (though he did trip on the streets).

            His arrival was just so abrupt and surprising that Areum had to take a few seconds before serving the customer behind him, who was feeling really annoyed because of how the boy held up the line.

            Still, even though he caused some trouble, Areum couldn’t help but wish she could’ve at least asked for his name, then. Or his number. Or what time he was free, if he had work. She wished she could’ve gotten all of that at that moment.

            A couple months later, she did. But it wasn’t what she expected at all.

            When she found out that Jaehyung was still in high school, she backpedaled so far that it could’ve been humorous. She was shocked and surprised, and for a moment, sitting on that bus, she didn’t know what to say to that, not knowing what she _should_ say to that.

            She knew that she liked him. Knew that the feelings she developed over the course of those couple of months were nothing short of romantic. But no matter how much she liked him, no matter how much he made her laugh, she knew she couldn’t be with him like that. Not then. Not when it just wasn’t the right time for both of them. And she couldn’t ask him to wait. She didn’t want to make anyone wait for her.

            Because, sometimes, waiting for something you can have now is worse than being denied something you will never.

            So, the most she let herself do was be Jaehyung’s friend. A guiding noona that he can rely when he needs advice for stuff she also went through as a teenager. To hang out with him, ask him about his day, and let herself laugh with him because when you’re around Jaehyung, it is never a difficult thing to do. She was satisfied with all that. Even when Jaehyung asked her to hang out and she wished it was a date. Even when she felt her heart break, knowing they will probably never have one.

            And then he told her he liked her, and it was all chaos from there.

            Areum had been so shocked and so surprised yet again that her mind was an absolute mess, a billion different thoughts running in a stampede inside her head, the only thing she wanted a way out of this mess. She ended up walking away and ignoring Jaehyung’s calls behind her, his voice sounding heartbroken, sounding a lot like her own heart.

            When she slammed the door of her apartment to his face, she had broken down crying on the doorstep, filled with hurt, regret, guilt, and so much pain. She couldn’t say anything to her landlady, who helped her get to her room and brought her tea the next day, no more questions asked. She hated that she didn’t know what to do. She hated that she hurt Jaehyung in the process.

            She was older. She should’ve been more mature about it. More level-headed. She should’ve faced Jaehyung and told him her answer right then and there. Told him that they couldn’t be together. And that he should move on and find someone else to be with. Someone who could make him happier than she ever could.

            But she didn’t. And the reason was because she didn’t want that to happen, either. She didn’t want him to like anyone else. As immature and as selfish and as unladylike as it was.

            The child in her wanted to tell Jaehyung that she liked him, too. That she was happy that he liked her and that she’d be happy to be his girlfriend and that it didn’t matter that he was still in high school because age was just a number. Age was just a number and the people around them didn’t matter because the only people who did were the both of them.

            But Areum wasn’t a child anymore. She had responsibilities and duties she had to abide by and one of them was to never take advantage of the naivety of an innocent, young boy who still needed to grow in order to be a man. He was on the way, yes. But that was all he was—on the way.

            She decided it was best to cut off all ties with him. It hurt, and she knew it would hurt him, too, but she couldn’t think of a better way than to give Jaehyung the opportunity to move on from her and fall in love with someone else. And maybe it was stupid and maybe it would have been better to just tell him straight-up why she was ignoring him, but as much as she didn’t want to tell him yes, she also didn’t want to tell him no. If she told him no, she figured that she might actually break down crying in front of him. And she couldn’t afford to do that. The older ones have to be strong for the younger ones; it is a burden that they have to take.

            So, when Jaehyung left the café with tears threatening to spill out of his face, she thought that was finally the end of it. The end to them. Jaehyung was going to move on and be happy and _Areum_ was going to move on and be happy and they’d both end up being nothing but a person from each other’s memories. The end.

            But then. She walked out of the café. And found Jaehyung crying to himself under the rain, furiously wiping at his tears, and looking the most hurt she’s ever seen him.

            At that moment, she thought of every smile Jaehyung sent her, every laugh he ever made her make, and never knew how much she missed all of it until she saw rain spilling out of Jaehyung’s eyes and spilling down onto the ground, flooding her entire world.

            She wanted him to stop crying. She hated that he was crying. She hated that he was crying because of her.

            She wanted him to smile again, to laugh again, to be every bit of funny that made every bit of her fall for him. She never wanted him to hurt ever again.

            So, she stepped forward and put an umbrella over his head, forcing her tears back and her lips in a thin line. She walked him to his apartment and listened to him call out at her even as she walked away. And when he told her she liked him back, she turned back, knowing that he himself didn’t believe it.

            Because how could he not see how amazing of a person he is, to make someone believe that loud, wide laughter is beautiful on a woman’s face? How could he not see how extraordinary of a person he is, when his kindness, thoughtfulness, and compassion overflows with every action he makes, even when he feels awkward doing it? How could he not think that anyone could ever like him back when Areum had already fallen for him so, so much?

            At that moment, it didn’t matter to Areum if she ended up crying in front of him because if her tears would lead to Jaehyung’s happiness, then let them flood her universe. Let her face him and say the things she didn’t want to admit and let her end things with her chin held high. Let her do all of that with no more hiding, no more running away, no more making him cry.

            Because it had been Jaehyung’s laughter that gave her wings to fly.

            When he told her that he was willing to wait for her, Areum had been almost speechless. Why would he do something like that? Why would he let himself be near her, but not in the exact way he wants to, just for the chance that he really actually might?

            But then again, she already had the answer. If she was in his situation, she already knew what she would say.

            The reason why she would wait for something is because nothing else could ever compare to it.

            And Jaehyung is the most extraordinary person she knows.

            So, she’s satisfied with being his friend and she’s satisfied with being his guiding noona. She’s satisfied with not holding his hand and she’s satisfied with not knowing what it would feel like to have those lips on hers.

            Because just the chance that she might in the future is enough to keep her smiling, laughing, at this very moment. Just the feeling of liking him, of being on the way to loving him is enough for her—even if that’s all they are: on the way.

            “Noona?” Jaehyung waves a hand in front of her. “You’re staring. Did you hear anything I said?”

            She wants to tell him she likes him. She wants to tell him that he is the reason why she’s so distracted. She wants to lean in and kiss him because the way he’s staring at her makes her feel like mush on the inside.

            But instead she says,

            “Jaehyung, do you think I’m perfect? Or that I’m out of your league? Or that I’m so precious that I’m untouchable?”

            The boy blinks for a moment, probably wondering about the seemingly sudden subject change, but he answers anyway.

            “Well, to be honest, noona,” he says, “at one point I really did think that you were all of that. Perfect. Out of my league. An angel.

            “But to be honest, you’ve got a lot of flaws, too. N-no offense.”

            At that, Areum lets a wide smile pull up her face.

            “Like what?” she asks.

            Jaehyung blinks. “Why are you saying that as if you’re asking for compliments.”

            “Just tell meee.”

            “W-well, you like to tease people…” Jaehyung glances down, scratching at his neck. “And you run away from your problems a lot, instead of facing them… Also, sometimes, I think you add too much lipstick that it becomes too red, but that might just be a preference thing… Oh, and you made me cry a lot when you pretended I didn’t exist.”

            “You really aren’t going to let me live that down, are you.”

            Jaehyung grins at her. “You have to admit, noona, it was kinda a jerk move.”

            “I already told you I’m sorry!”

            “Sorry doesn’t always cut it, you know!”

            “Ah, this kid—so disrespectful.”

            “There it is again—you’re running away from your problems, noona!”

            At that, Areum laughs, bright and cheerful, loud and wide, and Jaehyung does the same, almost banging his head on the table, too.

            “Areum-ah!” Yongsun calls from the backroom. “It’s your turn to yell at the kids!”

            “Coming!” Areum replies, moving to stand up.

            “‘Yell at the kids’?” Jaehyung asks, questioning.

            “Yongsun is very passionate about ordering people around.” Areum winks. “But you didn’t hear that from me.”

            “I guess we’re gonna have to cut our time short, then, noona.”

            “I guess so. Wish it had been longer.”

            “Me, too.” Jaehyung smiles. “But there’s always tomorrow, right, noona?”

            Areum smiles. “There’s always tomorrow.”

            They bid each other goodbye and Areum returns to the backroom, spotting a sleeping Yieun on the couch and already knowing which kid she’ll have to yell at first.

            Areum doesn’t mind that today gets cuts short. As they said, there’s always tomorrow.

            She’ll always look forward to tomorrow. And the next. And the next. And the next.

            Until they get to that day. Until there won’t have to be another next.

            Until then, she’ll just be doing her best.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i remember the original plan for this chapter was for jaehyung to meet some of areum's college friends, i think?? and/or talk about jaehyung's thing with areum in that he often romanticises her, or thinks of her as this perfect being above him. but after all the other chapters, that last one is just not applicable anymore, because by this point jaehyung's perception had already changed, though he doesnt love her less  
> \- sometimes you just really have to change a few things you once thought were set in stone because of how your characters developed a little bit differently than expected, and sometimes the result is a lot better than the original ^^  
> \- also i love areum so much  
> \- also shout-out to jamie hdskdaskd
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	31. Park Jamie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie, a girl in her second year of middle school, has her own world outside of being Jaehyung's archnemesis, and rightfully so.

“Jiminnie, do you always have to pick a fight with that hyung every time you see him?” Seungkwan asks, placing the bag of lunch boxes and other foods on the picnic blanket. He goes to take the lunch boxes out, continuing, “You don’t even like brownies that much.”

            “Bambam does, though,” Jamie says, gesturing to the boy with a hand.

            “Duuude, it’s the almond kind!” Bambam practically squeals from where he sits across Jamie, opening up a box of brownies. “They only make these ones once a month!”

            “Duuude, sweeet!” Yugyeom says beside him, grin defining his features. “Hey, do you think we could finish a box in ten minutes like we did last time?”

            “Oh my god, no, you guys,” Hansol says from where he sits next to Seungkwan. “You threw up all over us when you did that.”

            “It was disgusting,” Soyeon adds, shuddering as if she’s reliving the moment right where she is on Jamie’s right. “My aunt almost made me go back to home school because of you guys.”

            “But she didn’t,” Bambam says with a cheeky grin and finger-guns.

            “And we are totally doing this,” Yugyeom says. “No matter what you say, haters.”

            The four of them look up at the sky in exasperation, done with them and done with everything.

            The six of them had just arrived at the park after leaving Wakey-Wakey (short for “Wakey-Wakey, Eggs and Cakey”, the bakeshop in the district area), settled down on the base of a poor excuse of a hill (it’s more like a slope) which has this really old tree on top that feels like it’s watching over the youth of today and shaking its head at what it sees. They had been coming to this area for about three months now at the suggestion of Yugyeom, who felt like “this group needs a place that we can call our own—something that really nails in our forever friendship!”

            Jamie wanted to point out that most friendships in middle school either drift apart or end in rivalries but Seungkwan had covered her mouth before she could continue, and now here they are.

            “Okay, so Bambam likes brownies,” Seungkwan admits, wary eyes on the too-full cheeks of his two friends right there, “and it’s sweet that you’re buying all these brownies just so he could be… uh… happy…” (He said that as if he himself wasn’t sure if whatever Bambam and Yugyeom are doing can be considered happiness.)

            “I never said that I bought any of those brownies for the benefit of others, but go off, I guess,” Jamie says.

            “But that doesn’t mean you have to be rude to someone older than you,” Seungkwan says, frowning. “You keep giving that hyung the same look that we both know he really doesn’t like. And remember last week? That hyung looked like he was actually gonna cry!”

            “Not my fault I was first in line before him,” Jamie says, shrugs. She remembers about ten minutes before they went to the park how she locked eyes with Oppa Pixie Sticks through the window of that café. He looked so devastated and so comically angry that it was laughable—even the pretty lady next to him looked like she was holding in several barrels of laughter.

            “You could’ve at least saved one box for him!” Seungkwan protests. “You didn’t need to buy all twenty of those boxes, you know!”

            “So, then I’d be revoking my right to buying whatever I want just because someone else was a second too late?” Jamie asks. “Seungkwan. I thought you were better than this.”

            “What is okay with the law isn’t always okay with morals and ethics!”

            “Eh.” Jamie shrugs. “ _Finders keepers, losers weepers_.”

            Seungkwan sighs, then turns to the boy next to him. “Hansollie—”

            “It essentially means, ‘First come, first serve,’” Hansol replies right away.

            “See?” Jamie says. “He gets it.”

            “All he did was translate what you said in English to Korean,” Seungkwan says. “And good thing, too, since three of us can’t even _understand_ English.”

            “ _Aw, boo-hoo_.”

            “ _Hansollie_ —”

            “It’s nothing, Seungkwannie. Don’t worry about it.”

            Jamie just keeps a smile to herself as she turns to the other members of their little group, Soyeon having evolved from a look of disgust to a look of awe as Bambam somehow downs all the brownies without choking. Even Yugyeom stopped eating just to watch. What an amazing little circle of friends they are.

            They all met each other around six or seven months ago, during the first few weeks of class. Jamie had only moved to Korea from Britain a couple months prior and the change had been… difficult to deal with, to say the least. Because of the culture difference and her weak grasp on the language, Jamie had gotten herself into a lot of messy situations and misunderstandings the first few days of school. The most memorable so far is how this person, who was two years her senior, wouldn’t let her attend her class because she didn’t bow to her in greeting when they locked eyes. It was the weirdest thing to her and honestly the most annoying thing because god—what kind of person wouldn’t let someone get their education just for something like this?

            In the end, Jamie did end up bowing to her just to make her shut up and she ran as fast as she could in hopes that she wouldn’t be late. Unfortunately, she did and ended up standing in the school hallway because Mr. Jung had a stick up his butt, and wow—it was only the second week and Jamie already had two people on her To Have Revenge On list.

            The one good thing that came about that incident, however, was that it somehow brought the six of them together. Yugyeom and Bambam, who were in the same class as Jamie, actually came in ten minutes later than her; they ended up standing next to each other, cracking jokes and fooling around in the most stupid way possible but still making her laugh somehow.

            Seungkwan and Hansol were next to come over, though not for the same reason as Yugyeom and Bambam. They were walking together in the same hallway, each carrying a stack of notebooks to the faculty. In all honesty, Jamie probably wouldn’t have even become friends with them—but that was what Soyeon was for, she guesses. She was the reason why their little group grew from three to six so quickly.

            The girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere, coming in through the _window_ of all places as if she came from the floor _above_ them. By the act of fate, she swooped into the hallway feet-first and accidentally kicked Seungkwan in the face, tackling him and his and Hansol’s many, many notebooks to the ground.

            After the five of them checked that the only thing coming out of Seungkwan was not blood but only sweat and tears, Soyeon explained that she was running away from a very persistent senior who wanted to recruit her for the gymnastics club. Judging from her actions, it was a bit obvious why.

            Ever since that incident, the six of them had become almost inseparable, naturally becoming a circle of friends after seeing and recognizing each other so often and so easily in the school vicinity. When you’re connected to other people by an event that involves witnessing/getting kicked in the face by a girl coming in through a window, it isn’t exactly hard to not have something to talk about.

            Although, Jamie has to admit that even without that incident, the six of them are already pretty unique as is. Jamie, Hansol, and Bambam are all foreigners, Hansol being from America and Bambam being from Thailand. Seungkwan is the school’s regional representative for a really popular singing competition; he would’ve been the national representative were it not for his loss to Miwazaki Sakura, but everyone still puts him in high regard because of his good singing skills. Yugyeom is popular among the students because he is rich, is the son of the principal, and handsome, despite his crackheadedness. And Soyeon is… well, the Window Incident is already a good enough example for Soyeon.

            “How are you not dead?” Soyeon asks Bambam, looking very impressed at the boy.

            “Mrhdnkdhmdll,” Bambam answers very eloquently, face like a chipmunk with lots of nuts in its cheeks. Probably almond.

            “Yugyeom—translation,” Hansol says.

            “He says that he will never die because dying is for losers,” Yugyeom says. “And he is not a loser.”

            “You lost to Yuqi in an arm-wrestling competition, though,” Soyeon points out.

            “Hrmsnehmerfghdi,” Bambam says, sounding indignant.

            “‘We don’t talk about that,’” Yugyeom says.

            “And yet,” Jamie says, “here we are.”

            “Okay, but you really should probably slow down a bit, Kunpimook,” Yugyeom tells to Bambam. “You could actually choke, you know that?”

            “Ugh, stop calling me that,” Bambam says, finally swallowing down his food. “I already told you to call me Bambam—it was literally the first thing I told the entire class.”

            The thing about Bambam is that, despite being from a Thai family who moved to Korea when he was three, he absolutely despises being associated with anything Thai—down to the clothes, the food, the traditions, even his own name. He had settled with the nickname his parents gave him (as was their custom), which was a lot simpler and according to him, a lot cooler. Jamie has yet to figure out why he feels that way, though.

            “Okay, okay, I’ll stop calling you ‘Kunpimook’ because I read this article online that it’s inappropriate to do,” Yugyeom concedes with two hands up, “but just because you don’t use it doesn’t mean you gotta _hate_ it. Personally, I think it’s a pretty dope name.”

            Yugyeom, on the other hand, loves to hype up anything and everything about Bambam, being his best friend. He’s a very supportive person in general, really—always out there to help other people and cheer people up. It’s why he has a lot of admirers, after all. He gets a love letter in his shoe locker literally every other week. He has yet to accept one, though, for whatever reason he seems to deem fit.

            “Ugh, it’s _ugly_ ,” Bambam groans, finally closing a box. “What kind of name even is Kunpimook Bhuwakul?”

            “Uh—the kind of name that’s yours?” Yugyeom points out.

            “What does that have to do with anything? You all have cool names: Hansol, Seungkwan, Yugyeom… and all I’m stuck is with a stupid name with way too many syllables than necessary.”

            “Ugh, come on, Kunpimook is not stupid, dude!” Yugyeom actually puts his arms up in exasperation. “It’s literally the coolest name ever! It’s like you’re a superhero! Or a wizard! Or a really lit dragon king, dude! A dragon _and_ a king—what could be cooler than that?”

            Bambam scoffs, opening up the box again. “You’re just saying that.”

            At that, Yugyeom shuts the box closed with a hand, inadvertently putting his over Bambam’s.

            “And why on earth would I ‘just be saying that’?” Yugyeom asks, looking a bit annoyed. “I actually do think your name is cool, you know. And not only cool, but pretty. As weird as it sounds, I think your real name is really, really pretty.”

            At that, Bambam just stares up at Yugyeom, like he’s studying him. To anyone, it would look like Bambam’s face is etched with a billion ???s. But to the people who know him, to his friends, there’s something more in play.

            “Ugh, will you two just get on with it and ask each other on a date, already?” Jamie rolls her eyes. “It’s getting tiring to have to watch you guys give each other heart eyes but somehow end up with a bro fist, like that even makes sense.”

            “WHAT!” Yugyeom and Bambam whip their heads towards Jamie’s direction.

            “Oh my god, no, ew—me and Yugyeom are bros!” Bambam says, looking repulsed at even the idea of it.

            “Yeah, man, we aren’t even gay for each other.” Yugyeom shakes his head. “Or gay at all, for that matter.”

            “You two hugging each other while sleeping in the same tent last month seems pretty gay to me,” Jamie says.

            “WE SAID NO HOMO!” they both yell at the same time.

            “Oh, so you’re _really_ gay, then.”

            “Ugh, there’s such a thing as platonic hugging, you know,” Yugyeom says.

            “Besides, if anyone here is gay for each other, it’s those two!” Bambam says, pointing at Hansol and Seungkwan.

            The former currently has his head resting very comfortably on the latter’s lap, as if the boy is the fluffiest bed in the world. Meanwhile, Seungkwan is absentmindedly playing with Hansol’s hair, running his fingers through his naturally blond hair. In addition to that, he is also pinching Hansol’s ear a bit fondly.

            They blink at Bambam and his accusing finger.

            “… And what _about_ it?” Hansol asks, almost challenging.

            Bambam’s accusing finger falters down, just a tad bit.

            “Wait—holy frick—are you actually gay for each other?” Bambam asks in surprise and possibly awe.

            Seungkwan scratches his jaw with a finger at that, looking shy.

            “Hansollie confessed to me a week ago,” he says, meekly. “And now we’re dating, I guess.”

            “Oh my god, congrats, you two!” Soyeon says, a wide smile on her face. “Have you guys kissed yet?”

            “Or better yet, have you guys f—”

            Seungkwan slams a palm against Jamie’s mouth, turning very, very red.

            “NO!” he shouts, looking like he’s about to faint. “NO TO BOTH! WE’RE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, GUYS—WHO EVEN DOES THAT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL?”

            Pictures play in Jamie’s mind like war flashbacks.

            “A lot of people,” she says, voice grave.

            Though, in all honesty, it’s probably about time that those two got together. Everyone in school knows how much they like each other—they practically exude their love for each other. Though they’re virtually opposites, their differences complement better than contrast. Seungkwan, being the bubbly and sweet person that he is, often needs Hansol to watch over when someone tries to take advantage of his kindness. And Hansol, being the laid-back chillest of the chill person he is, is only shown to have any kind of emotion when Seungkwan is around.

            So, it’s a wonder why it took them so long to finally date when they’re practically M.F.E.O. (Made For Each Other). And Jamie wonders a lot.

            “Come on—you haven’t even kissed once?” Soyeon almost whines. “Not even on the cheek? Have you held hands, at least?”

            “Soyeon, they are literally all over each other right at this very moment,” Yugyeom points out. “Doesn’t matter if they held hands or not—they’ve already skipped a lot of steps.”

            “But still, you guys have to at least kiss once,” Bambam says. “And not on the cheek, dude—on the lips!”

            “On! The! Lips!” Jamie half-shouts. “On! The! Lips!”

            The rest of them continue the chant gradually, though Jamie knows it’s all half-meant.

            For some reason, though, Seungkwan shifts his eyes like there’s something else behind the scenes.

            “Nah, you guys,” Hansol suddenly says, raising a hand from where he lies and waving it dismissively. “To be honest, I just wanna sleep. Also, I’m sick.”

            “ _Boo, you bore_ ,” Jamie says.

            “‘Boar’ means ‘pig’, right?” Seungkwan turns to Hansol. “Did Jamie just call me a pig?”

            “Don’t worry about it, Seungkwannie,” he says, giving him a pat-pat on the cheek.

            The conversation goes in a different direction, and Jamie squints her eyes at Seungkwan’s relieved expression and Hansol’s trying-not-to-look-too-concerned expression.

            But before she can ask them about it, a loud ringtone sounds suddenly from her right.

            “Ah, it’s Mommy and Daddy!” Soyeon exclaims, already pressing the green button and putting her phone volume to its maximum.

            “There’s wi-fi in this area?” Bambam asks, looking around.

            “You’d be surprised to know there’s wi-fi everywhere,” Hansol says.

            As soon as Soyeon presses the button to receive the call, two familiar voices come from her phone speaker.

            “Soyeon-ah!” a male and female voice greet happily, though not in sync.

            “Hi, Mommy! Hi, Daddy!” Soyeon greets, a wide smile on her face. “How’s the photoshoot?”

            “Oh, it’s going great, sweetie,” Soyeon’s mother says. “But you know we can’t not check on you while we’re kilometers away. Where are you now? Is that grass behind you?”

            “Oh, yeah, I’m with some friends,” Soyeon says. “We’re having a picnic.”

            “Ooh, ooh, let me see them, Soyeon-ah!” Soyeon’s mother almost squeals. “Oh my god, Hyojong-ah, we’re finally meeting her friends!”

            “Oh, my freaking god,” Bambam mumbles under his breath as soon as Soyeon turns the camera so all of them can be seen on camera.

            The two people that greet them from Soyeon’s phone are none other than the famous singer-rappers Hyunah and Hyojong, also known as Soyeon’s parents.

            “Hi, Soyeon-ah’s friends!” Hyunah greets with a smile, her curly orangey-red hair bouncing as she waves. “I’m Soyeon-ah’s mommy and this is my husband!” She gestures to Hyojong, who politely nods, absentmindedly running his fingers through his blond hair. “It’s so nice to finally meet you all!”

            “Oh my god,” Bambam says again, voice very tiny and very high-pitched.

            Hyunah and Hyojong are one of the most popular artists in Korea, making up the duo “Dusk&Dawn”, where Hyuna represents dusk and Hyojong represents dawn. The two made their debut as a couple ever since they were teenagers and immediately rose to the top in just their third year. In the year 2005, they announced that they were going to be parents and low and behold, out came their bubbly and eccentric daughter, Soyeon.

            “Hello, Mr and Mrs Kim,” Seungkwan greets politely with a slight nod of the head. Hansol sits up to do the same. “It’s also nice to meet you.”

            “Oh my god,” Bambam whispers again and Hyojong lets out a laughter.

            “Noona, I think one of Soyeon-ah’s friends is a big fan of you,” he says to Hyunah, who smiles widely.

            “H-h-h-hello, Ms—Mrs?—Hyunah! M-m-my name is Bambam and I’ve been a big fan of you since I was seven!” Bambam almost slams his head into the boxes of brownies in his energetic bow. “I still think ‘Lip Reading’ is your best album yet even though the general public didn’t like it that much!”

            “A boy with taste,” Hyunah giggles. “I’m glad you liked it!”

            Suddenly, a female voice sounds as Bambam holds onto Yugyeom, for dear life, looking as if he’s about to die.

            “Hyunah-ssi! Hyojong-ssi! We need you on set in five minutes!”

            “Aw, what?” Hyojong says, frowning. “We’ve barely even got to talk to Soyeon-ah.”

            “It’s okay, Daddy,” Soyeon says with a smile. “We can talk again later tonight. Don’t work too hard, okay?”

            “Aw, what did we do in our past lives to have such a wonderful daughter like you?” Hyunah blows a kiss. “Have fun with your friends, sweetie! We love you!”

            “Love you, too! Bye!”

            The call ends there and Soyeon returns her phone in her pocket, a smile on her face.

            To a lot of people, having celebrities as parents must be like a dream come true, but Jamie guesses it must be difficult to never have to see them as often as other kids do. Not to mention Soyeon’s aunt is a complete nightmare compared to Hyunah and Hyojong. Soyeon probably likes to reassure her parents that she’s fine, and she’s probably really proud of them, too.

            But it must get lonely at times. Jamie knows that’s what she would feel.

            “I can’t believe I just talked to Hyunah,” Bambam is currently freaking out. “I JUST TALKED TO HYUNAH!”

            “You could always talk to her on her days off, you know,” Soyeon says. “She’s free every Thursday. Want me to tell you whenever she’s available to talk?”

            Suddenly, Bambam grabs both Soyeon’s hands and kneels on one knee.

            “Soyeon, please marry me,” he says, looking like he’s actually a hundred percent serious about it.

            Jamie rolls her eyes as Soyeon promptly tries to kick Bambam away but ends up kicking Yugyeom in the face, the boy having tried to pull Bambam away from Soyeon for some reason. Seungkwan starts telling them about how important it is to never fight with friends while Hansol just dozes off beside him, hair getting tangled in the grass. Honestly. What a bunch of crackheads.

            But even though the six of them share only one brain cell (Jamie), in all honesty, she’s nothing short of grateful to them. In a world that seemed to always want Jamie to suffer, it was these five people who really made her feel at home in a place so different from the one she was used to.

            They were idiots, yes, but Jamie would never trade them for anything. Not even the world.

            “Hey, Jiminnie, could you please help me for a bit?” Seungkwan asks, exasperated, trying to keep Soyeon, Bambam, and Yugyeom off each other.

            She thinks about it for a second.

            “Nah,” she says, lying down next to Hansol.

            She smiles to herself, watching her friends mess around with each other, wishing for more days like this.

            Yeah, not even for the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- ah yes, the sound of a spin-off i will never write  
> \- but seriously, i absolutely loved coming up with the universe for jaehyung's so-called archnemesis (who got mentioned, like, three times, probably). to be honest, you can make so many universes out of ALL of the side characters mentioned in wsly, like with the band members (and that woosung/jaehyeong ust), the people working at the business district (including mr boo + the people at saengsun-nim), the teachers (which include mr kwon and his son), the other students (@ that jeonghan/jisoo sidestory), and even felix, the eight-year-old kid that younghyun babysits from time-to-time (this was mentioned in the hyunjoon/joonyoung chapter, i believe)!!  
> \- the best thing about creating a universe is creating different worlds within that universe, multiple stories that string together with other ones. even if we never see them come into light as much as the main storyline, sometimes it's enough to just know they exist and reflect on it a bit  
> \- also i love the little subplots we got going in this chapter hnggggg with yugyeom/bambam's ignorance of their love for each other, vernon/seungkwan's little mystery, soyeon's thing with her celebrity parents, and jamie's adjustment to a new society. ah yes, youth  
> \- also, btw, i am aware of the three-name culture that thailand has and i made sure to research on it very well in order to not make any mistakes (also bear in mind that in this au, bambam is thai in blood but was raised in korea, so his views have been affected a bit), BUT if there is anything i should change, kindly inform me please!! i'll make sure to change it accordingly, as not to do anything offensive or inappropriate ^^
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	32. Dowoon & Wonpil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It only makes sense for the class's student representative and the third years' top student to interact, no matter how weird Younghyun finds it.

Younghyun feels his eyebrow twitch a little and he squints, watching the scene in front of him.

            “Are those all of the notebooks from the left column?” Wonpil asks Dowoon as the latter approaches him at the teacher’s table in front, carrying with him a stack of notebooks.

            “No, there’s still one left,” Dowoon answers, placing the notebooks on the table. “Jackson won't give me his.”

            They turn towards the exchange student in front, who whips his head at the both of them and stares with a scary glint in his eye, arms caressing his notebook like a baby.

            Wonpil rolls his eyes. “Jackson, give me your notebook or else we’ll all be late in submitting our assignments.”

            Younghyun watches with an unsure furrow in his eyebrows as Wonpil forcibly pries the notebook out of Jackson’s hands and the boy whines like a baby wanting back his candy. Dowoon looks over at the other two, looking bored with his entire life.

            “Hey,” Younghyun says to the two people next to him, who seem to be cutting some photos of Lee Jooheon from the next class over for an arts project, “are Dowoon and Wonpil friends?”

            “Not sure,” Jaehyung says. He turns to Jieun. “Are Wonpil and Dowoon friends?”

            Jieun loudly rips Jooheon’s face in half, tearing his peace sign to shreds.

            “I don't know,” she says between gritted teeth, voice shaky. “Is _anyone_ friends? Does _anyone_ ever actually like each other? Does true love exist? Tell me—does true love exist? Huh? _Huh_?”

            Jieun bursts into a bubble of tears and slams her face onto her armchair, her wails muffled in the wood. Jaehyung pats her on the head. Younghyun watches, horrified.

            “Did something happen?” he asks, looking to Jaehyung for answers.

            “Her date with Mina didn't go well,” Jaehyung explains. “It's been like this for three days.”

            “What did I do to deserve this?” Jieun cries. “It was already bad falling in love with a gay guy—why did you make me meet such a wonderful girl just to have my heartbroken _again_? _Why_ , Jae— _why_?”

            Jieun half-heartedly punches Jaehyung at his shoulder and he tries his best to block it; judging from the look on his face though, it still somehow hurt.

            “Jieun fell in love with a gay guy?” Younghyun frowns. “That must've been harsh.”

            “Yeah, I still wonder what she saw in him,” Jaehyung deadpans. “Anyway, back to your Dowoon question: I’m not sure if they're friends or not, but they do interact a lot. You know, being the top student and the class rep and all. The teachers favor those two above everyone else, so they're the ones they trust the most to get work done. (… Well, the _only_ ones they trust to get _any_ work done; this class is full of crackheads.)”

            Younghyun nods absentmindedly a little, finding himself looking back front at where Wonpil is currently walking back to the teacher's desk, placing a battered notebook on the pile of notebooks. Jackson cries in his corner, Sanghyuk and Hajoon comforting him with pats on his back.

            “Come on—let's go,” Wonpil says to Dowoon, carrying the notebooks. “Before Ms. Choi puts a minus score on _all_ our assignments.”

            “You know she doesn't actually do that, right,” Dowoon says, picking up his own stack. “She just says that, so we'd pass everything on time.”

            Wonpil frowns. “You're lying,” he says as he passes through the door.

            Dowoon shrugs, following him out. “It’s my word over hers. Which one do you believe more?”

            “… I've been betrayed.”

            The furrow in Younghyun’s brow deepens even more as the two leave the classroom, talking to each other like they've been friends for months. If Dowoon was friends with him, he'd tell him, right? Though, from what Younghyun remembers, Dowoon’s been friendless for until Younghyun met him. So, they can't be friends… can they?

            Wait, why is Younghyun even mulling over this? Dowoon having friends isn't that big of a deal. Contrary to popular opinion, these two _do_ actually have lives that don't revolve around each other. I mean, Younghyun himself has band, his part-time jobs, his family, and Felix, the kid he babysits from time-to-time. And Dowoon surely has stuff like that, too! Maybe he _also_ has an Australian eight-year-old to take care of every two months or so!

            It’s just… for some reason… Younghyun feels… uneasy. At the fact that Wonpil and Dowoon apparently interact with each other a lot. And how Dowoon hasn't told him a thing about that before. Weird. He feels weird.

            “I feel weird,” Younghyun says out loud, still staring at the blackboard.

            “Oh?” Jaehyung says, sticking a picture of Jooheon doing a “;P” face onto some colored paper with a glue stick. “Do you need to go to the infirmary?”

            “No, it’s not that. It’s just… I feel weird seeing Dowoon and Wonpil hang out.” Younghyun frowns, pushing his cheek up with a knuckle. “I don't know… it’s kinda like I wish _I_ was the one helping him carry notebooks to the faculty room instead of Wonpil? But not because I wanna ease the burden on Wonpil’s side, or anything like that… but—like—because I don't want Wonpil to be the one to help him? Or anyone else? If that makes sense?”

            Younghyun shakes his head, sighing. “I don't know what I’m talking about,” he says. “Maybe I really do need to go to the infirmary. I knew I shouldn't have eaten too many tomat—”

            “You're jealous,” Jaehyung says.

            “You're jealous,” Jieun says, voice muffled in the wood.

            “You're jealous,” Woosung says sitting by the door and not even looking up from his phone.

            “You're jealous, Younghyun!” Hajoon calls out from the front, still patting a sobbing Jackson.

            Younghyun stares at the latter two as Jaehyung continues,

            “If you're thinking of denying it, don't even. Jealousy is all that defines you at this very moment.”

            “Wait, but—” Younghyun turns to him, unsure— “isn't jealousy, like, a bad thing? Like—isn’t it one of the Deathly Sins?”

            “First off, it’s _Deadly_ Sins; second, it’s envy, not jealousy; and third, yeah, jealousy _can_ be bad, but you can't really help it if you feel jealous. If you feel it, you feel it—can't do anything about it.”

            Younghyun slumps in his chair, furrowing his eyebrows. “So, this is jealousy, huh…” he says, absentmindedly.

            “To be honest, Younghyun, it’s actually kinda a miracle this is the first time you’re feeling jealous about Dowoon.”

            “Huh? Why?” Younghyun looks up at that.

            “Anyone who sees the both of you in the same room would know how much you love Dowoon.” Jaehyung shrugs. “The way you look at him, the way you talk to him… you love him so much that your love for him overflows to the brim. It’s like you _radiate_ your love for him, you know?

            “For a person to love someone like that so much… if the person they love hangs out with someone else, it’d be logical for them to feel _some_ form of jealousy, you know? You love them, so when someone else tries to love them the same way you do, you feel jealous.”

            Younghyun looks down, mulling over that thought. He tries to think about it, wonders what he'd feel if he saw a guy walk up to Dowoon, put a hand on his cheek, lean in to—

            Jaehyung looks up in alarm when he hears a sniffle.

            “Younghyun, are you _crying_?” he asks, incredulous.

            “I don't _want_ Dowoon to love someone else,” Younghyun sobs, slamming his head on his armchair and crying muffled wails into the wood.

            “… Dear god, when on earth did I become the mature one in this friend group,” he hears Jaehyung say and feels a hand pat his hair, like how Jaehyung did for Jieun.

            “Look, you idiot,” Jaehyung says, addressing Younghyun, “jealousy is something normal in a relationship. Of course, you'd feel jealous at the idea of your loved one being with someone else—”

            Younghyun sobs harder.

            “But you can't let that jealousy take over you,” Jaehyung continues. “You know Dowoon enough, and you trust him enough to know that he'd never do something that would hurt you. Do you really think Dowoon would just let some guy get with him?”

            Younghyun lifts his face up at that, rubbing at his eyes.

            “No,” he answers, pouting. “He says I’m the best boyfriend and that no one could ever compare to me and that he’d jump the moon and back for me to get the stars if he ever sees the light in my eyes dim for even a fraction.”

            “That is a very touching statement and I can't believe Dowoon actually said that, but see? Dowoon loves you just as much as you do. So, even if you _do_ feel jealous, there's not much reason to be.

            “You can't help feeling something, but you _can_ help what you do because of it. _That's_ when things start to go bad—not because you feel jealous, but because of the actions that come about it.”

            Younghyun finds himself staring back at the classroom doorway, their ten-minute break closely coming to a close. He still feels an ache in his chest and there's still an unsure furrow in his eyebrow, despite Jaehyung’s advice.

            Jaehyung crosses his arms, noticing this.

            “So, Younghyun,” he says, “what actions will come about this?”

 

Dowoon and Wonpil leave the faculty room after bowing to the teachers.

            “I still can't believe Ms. Choi doesn't _actually_ put a minus to our scores if we pass them late,” Wonpil says, crossing his arms. “I feel cheated.”

            “Well, if she does that then half the class wouldn't even pass, you know?” Dowoon says. “We've got so many different projects going on at the same time—some of us barely even get any sleep anymore. Ms. Choi knows that, so this is her way of being considerate. ‘Course she can't tell any of us that or else people will take advantage of it.”

            “… You're really serious about becoming a teacher, aren't you, Dowoon,” Wonpil says after a while, turning to him.

            Dowoon raises an eyebrow. “How'd you find that out?” he asks.

            “I got a glimpse of your career goal paper last month when I passed it,” Wonpil says. “It’s… how do I put it…”

            “You think it’s a waste of talent?” Dowoon says.

            “To put it bluntly? Yeah, I kinda do.” They turn a corner. “You're literally the smartest person in our grade level. You get a perfect in everything. Why become a teacher when you can become an engineer? Or an accountant? Or—”

            “Or a doctor? Or a lawyer?” Dowoon continues, eyebrow still raised.

            Wonpil stops in his tracks.

            “Sorry,” he apologizes, turning to him. “I offended you.”

            Dowoon stares at him for a moment before shaking his head, leaning against the wall, windows letting in light next to him.

            “It’s fine,” he says. “That's what everyone says, anyway.”

            Wonpil takes a moment before turning to face Dowoon fully.

            “Why do you keep making those kinds of decisions?” he asks. “Being a teacher when you could be an engineer? Sleeping in class when you could be awake? Being friends with Kim Jieun and Park Jaehyung when they are the troublemakers of the class? And worst of all, dating Kang Younghyun?”

            Dowoon’s eyebrow twitches.

            “‘ _Worst_ of all’?” he repeats.

            “I’m sorry to offend you but it’s true. Kang Younghyun’s skipped class more than any other student in our grade level since first year. He gets low grades, he never gives the right answer when reciting—not only that but no one likes to be around him. Doesn't that indicate _something_ , at least?

            “You’re at the very top of the class, Dowoon. And Kang Younghyun is at the very bottom. Why settle for him when you could do so much better?”

            Dowoon hears something like a garbage bin getting toppled over in the distance, but he doesn't take much notice of it—he’s already straightening his back and facing Wonpil fully.

            “It’s funny you say that I could do so much better when Kang Younghyun is the best I could ever have,” Dowoon says. “Yes, he has bad grades, and yes, he can be stupid, and yes, he might have broken the school rules one too many times.

            “But Kang Younghyun is kind and passionate and loving. He is hardworking and always inspired and more responsible than I ever could be. He loves his family. He loves his _friends_. And he loves me. He loves me and loves me in the best way possible—how is that not enough reason to choose to love him, too?

            “Kang Younghyun wakes up every day at dawn to prepare for his family and to walk me to school early enough so neither of us would get late. He works a different part-time job every week and helps his parents wash clothes for the neighbors, sew buttons onto a hundred dolls per day—he almost _died_ doing a carpentering job and he still works there!

            “Not only that, but Kang Younghyun can play both the bass and the guitar, has written so many songs, and has the most angelic voice I had ever heard. When he sings, his entire heart is poured out through his voice because Kang Younghyun is the sweetest, most loving and compassionate person I had ever met.

            “He smiles like there's never a reason to be sad. He hugs me like there's no one else he'd rather hug. He cares for me, never likes to see me cry, and no matter what we're doing, he always, _always_ holds my hand. Even when he doesn't realize it.

            “Kang Younghyun is perfect in every way and just because you don't see that doesn't give you the right to tell me settling for him is settling for less because settling for him is settling for the _best_.

            “So, don't you dare try to point out that dating him is a stupid decision. Because it's not. And neither is any of the other stuff you said. Haven't you ever made a decision that seems stupid but because you love someone so much, it makes so much sense to do it?”

            At that, Wonpil absentmindedly brings a hand up to his face. Whatever that means, Dowoon doesn't care.

            “I don't care if the entire universe will tell me that the decisions I’m making are the most stupid, irrational decisions in mankind,” Dowoon says, “because no matter what decision I make, Younghyun will always be there to support me. Trust in me. And love me. And I would be stupid to not support and trust and love him back.

            “When everyone told me that it was stupid to become a teacher, he was the only one who told me I’d be a great one. If that isn't a reason to love him, I don't know what is.”

            Dowoon finishes, crossing his arms again and leaning against the hallway wall. He doesn't care that he ended up giving a speech—he’d give all his words to Younghyun if he could. And right now, Wonpil looks speechless.

            “… I’m sorry,” he eventually apologizes. “I didn't know there was so much to him to know about.”

            Dowoon sighs, not having the energy to keep being angry with the guy—he’s tired of staying hateful of someone, and tired of holding onto something that will do no good to him in the end.

            “If you would just take the time to know someone,” he says, “you'd find things you never even knew you wanted to. That's why you hate it when people never get Sungjin’s name right, right?”

            At that, Wonpil looks up, surprised.

            “You wish people could notice him, see him as more than your best friend,” Dowoon says, “but how could they do that if they don't actually sit down and hang out with him?”

            Wonpil glances away and Dowoon sighs again.

            “Just for the record, it wasn't me who came up with that idea,” he says. “It was Younghyun. He's a lot smarter than you think.”

            Dowoon turns away to continue walking back to the classroom.

            “Come on, let's go,” he says to Wonpil. “Before Mr. Kwon lists us in as late.”

            Dowoon walks a few more steps, not bothering to look back. Then, Wonpil catches up with him, following his pace.

            “You mean if Mr. Kwon lists _me_ as late,” Wonpil says. “He never lists you as late. And you came in the classroom with Kang Younghyun _twenty_ minutes into the class. He scolded him but not you.”

            Dowoon breathes out a laughter, recalling that memory. “An indication of the corrupt system of education.”

            “I can't believe a future teacher would actually say that. Don't tell me Kang Younghyun came up with that, too?”

            “He did. And it's true, you know. There are a lot of things we need to change in schools.”

            “But the current system is already fine.”

            “To _you_. But I guess it'd make sense for you of all people to think th—”

            Suddenly, a loud _THUD!_ comes from behind the two of them and they turn to see a garbage bin fallen over in the corner.

            Dowoon squints. Didn't he hear a garbage bin topple down earlier, too?

            “A cat or a dog must have gotten inside the school,” Wonpil says, already walking towards it. “Unless it's a student, though I’d have no idea why. Anyway, you should head on, Dowoon. I’ll fix the bi—”

            “No,” Dowoon says. “You go on ahead. Mr. Kwon never lists me as late so it's better if you came earlier.”

            Wonpil looks back at him, hesitant, but Dowoon insists that he head on first, so Wonpil leaves him with a grateful nod of the head.

            Slowly, Dowoon approaches the corner of the hallway.

            Thinking about it, Wonpil was right to think that a stray animal somehow got into the school. It would be weird for a student to be here in this corner of the hallway, where there is literally nothing on the other side except more garbage bins.

            Unless you're hiding. And unless you have good reason to. And judging from what he and Wonpil just talked about and how a certain someone had been staring at Wonpil with an odd look to his face earlier, Dowoon can think of only one person.

            Dowoon reaches the corner, the sound of his halting footsteps loud in his ear.

            “Younghy—”

            “AAAH DON'T HURT ME I SWEAR I JUST WANTED MY NOTEBOOK BACK!”

            A figure jumps out of a garbage bin and Dowoon widens his eyes when he sees who it is.

            “ _Jackson_?” Dowoon asks, incredulous. “ _What_ are you doing here? We have class ongoing.”

            The tall boy looks small with the way he caves his shoulders in, looking guilty. He scratches his dyed blonde hair.

            “I followed you and the class rep when you left because I wanted to get my notebook back,” he explains. “I thought maybe one of you might drop it or maybe I could get close enough to steal it, but I didn't get the chance to.”

            “Why exactly do you even want your notebook back so much?” Dowoon asks, flabbergasted. “Ms. Choi will return it tomorrow anyway.”

            At that, Jackson blushes bright red.

            “I drew a five-page manhwa on that notebook,” he says.

            “You drew a five-page manhwa on that notebook,” Dowoon repeats.

            “It’s really cheesy and corny and kind of embarrassing and _ugh_ , if Ms. Choi sees it, I’m screwed!”

            Jackson buries his face in his hands, groaning.

            Dowoon awkwardly pats him on the shoulder.

            “Fighting, Jackson,” is all he can say.

            The two of them walk back to the classroom, Jackson lamenting all the way.

 

Dowoon and Younghyun are walking the way home, the sun still up in the sky before a couple hours send it down underneath the ground. There aren’t much people in this part of the city. The two of them swing their arms a little as their hands clasp around each other, almost out of habit.

            “So, _that's_ why Jackson suddenly ran out of the room like that,” Younghyun is saying, looking like all the questions of the universe were answered with just that bit of information.

            “It was actually kind of funny; you should've been there to see it,” Dowoon says. “I didn't even know Jackson liked to draw.”

            “Oh, it’s a bit obvious. Whenever it’s self-study time, he always puts himself in a corner and brings out a random notebook to write in. Plus, he always brings out his pencil case with all the colored pencils when he does that, so it makes sense.”

            Dowoon looks at Younghyun as he says this.

            “You're really observant, aren't you, Younghyun?” he says.

            “Not really.” Younghyun shrugs. “I just people-watch when I’m bored. It’s not like I can read people's minds. I didn't even notice you before we met, and we sit next to each other.”

            He boops Dowoon on the nose playfully and Dowoon rolls his eyes and shakes his head, though with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

            “Still, that's pretty amazing,” Dowoon says, looking back front. “You've got a lot of good things about you. And yet people see only the bad in you. Ugh, you should've heard what Wonpil said about you.”

            “What Wonpil said about me?” Younghyun echoes.

            “Mm-hm. He said that dating you is like the worst decision I could ever make.”

            Younghyun pauses.

            “Did he say why he said that?” he asks.

            Dowoon frowns, thinking about it. “Not sure. I can't really tell since I don't know him much. He also said something like why should I settle for you when I could settle for so much better, as if there's someone better than you.”

            “I see...” Younghyun nods. “So, he thinks there's someone better than me… He is the class rep, after all… who could be better than that…”

            Dowoon furrows his eyebrows at Younghyun’s tone. His voice had faltered in a way that made it seem like he was talking to himself; if Dowoon wasn't so close to him, he'd probably never hear it.

            He looks over at Younghyun and sees him staring ahead as they walk, a calm and relaxed expression on his face. He stares a bit more and when Younghyun doesn't look down to look at him questioningly, Dowoon knows he's doing it on purpose.

            “Younghyun, look at me,” Dowoon says.

            Younghyun keeps staring forward.

            “Younghyun, look at me,” Dowoon says again.

            Younghyun turns his head away.

            Dowoon rolls his eyes and stops in his tracks, letting go of their hands.

            He reaches up, cups Younghyun’s cheeks, and turns his face in his direction, Younghyun yelping in surprise.

            “Look. At. Me,” Dowoon says, staring at him.

            “ _Okay_ , okay. … I’m looking,” Younghyun says, though he still glances down every now and then.

            “What is it,” Dowoon says, not letting go of him.

            Younghyun sighs, finally giving in.

            “It’s stupid,” he says. “And kinda dumb. It’s just—I love you. And I _know_ you love me, too. So, there isn't much reason for me to feel this way but Jaehyung says if I feel it, I feel it and I can't help it, but… see—the thing is—I—”

            Younghyun lets out another sigh and pulls down Dowoon’s hands from his face.

            He bends down and buries his head in Dowoon’s shoulder, making his voice muffled.

            “It’s the first time I’m feeling jealous about you,” he says, warmth spreading onto Dowoon’s shoulder. “And it’s stupid because I’m only feeling this way because you went out with someone to bring notebooks to the faculty room when usually it’d be just you. It’s dumb. It’s stupid. Especially when Wonpil _clearly_ has a thing for Sungjin.

            “Jaehyung says it's normal to feel like this, but I can't help but feel bad about it. I don't know… it’s weird feeling jealous. Not sure if I like it.”

            “… You're feeling jealous?” Dowoon asks after a while.

            Younghyun hums in affirmation against Dowoon’s shoulder.

            “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, I am.”

            For a while, it’s just silence, with Younghyun’s face buried in Dowoon’s shoulder and Dowoon’s hands loosely intertwined with his, not as tight as they usually are.

            Then, Younghyun feels Dowoon’s shoulders shaking and he looks up, expecting to see an angry look.

            Instead, he sees a wide grin plastered on Dowoon’s face.

            “Are you laughing?” Younghyun asks, incredulous.

            “Yeah,” Dowoon says, laughing and not denying it. “Yeah, I am.”

            Younghyun lets out a breath, surprised and shocked. But Dowoon’s not angry like Younghyun thought he would be. He's not angry and that's such a relief even though it's confusing.

            “Why—why are you laughing?” Younghyun stammers, still blinking at him.

            “No, it’s just—” Dowoon tries to bite down his grin but it just comes up no matter what he does— “It’s funny to me how you were just so devastated when you realized you were jealous when I have to deal with that every day.”

            Younghyun blinks at that.

            “I've always been jealous?” he asks.

            “No, you idiot— _me_ ,” Dowoon says. “ _I’m_ always jealous.”

            Younghyun blinks. “What?” he asks.

            “Don't you see the way people look at you whenever we pass by them?” Dowoon crosses his arms. “At school, you're everybody's nightmare but in the streets, you're everyone's fantasy daydream.”

            “ _Fantasy daydream_ —”

            “When we're at a café, there's _always_ someone next to us, whispering about how good you look and whether or not you have a girlfriend already. It’s frustrating how hot you are!”

            “ _Hot—_ ”

            Younghyun’s entire body is a furnace right now. Dowoon’s never said any of this about him before— _to_ him before. Has he always thought about him this way? Since _when_? Holy _frick_?

            “Not to mention _before_ we started dating,” Dowoon continues. “You were always, ‘Jieun this, Jieun that’. Always ‘Jieun, Jieun, _Jieun_ ’!”

                    “Dowoon, holy frick,” Younghyun says, voice heightening in pitch.

            Dowoon looks down, ears redder than ever, and if Younghyun cups his cheek, he know it’ll feel very warm. But Dowoon is holding his hands tightly so maybe next time.

            “I never told you any of this because it was kinda embarrassing,” Dowoon says, looking down. “But… we're dating. You're my boyfriend. I’m your boyfriend. I… I gotta let you know these things, right? Even if it makes me wanna go under a blanket and hide forever. If anyone must know, it has to be you.

            “And… to be honest… when you said you felt jealous… it made me kind of happy. Just a little.”

            Younghyun feels a grin pull up his face.

            “Dowoon, look at me,” he says.

            Dowoon keeps looking down.

            “Dowoon, look at me,” he repeats.

            Dowoon turns his head in the other direction.

            Younghyun laughs and leans in to kiss Dowoon on the lips, smiling into it, feeling Dowoon smile, too.

            When he pulls away, he asks,

            “You really think I’m hot?”

            Dowoon rolls his eyes, cheeks pink.

            “Your arms and chest are really defined,” he mumbles, eyes sneakily looking over them.

            Younghyun presses a quick kiss on Dowoon’s lips.

            “I think you're hot, too, you know,” he says, blushing a bit as he says it. “You've got really broad shoulders.”

            Dowoon glances away embarrassed at that, and he pulls Younghyun away, so they could continue walking, making Younghyun trip a bit.

            “We probably shouldn't have this conversation out in public like this,” Dowoon says. “Thank god the only person here is a dog.”

            “Where should we have the conversation, then?” Younghyun asks, and god, it’s a really suggestive question, but Dowoon knows for a fact that he actually means it in the most innocent way possible. “Is the living room a good place?”

            At that, Dowoon blushes even harder.

            “M-m-maybe the bedroom is a better idea,” he says.

            “Oh? Why? Then again your bed is a lot comfier than your couch.”

            Dowoon doesn't say anything to that and just keeps pulling Younghyun away, not believing how dense and innocent he is.

            One day, maybe, they could go further than a conversation. But for now, Dowoon will just settle for cuddling on the bed and talking about things they were too embarrassed to talk about before.

            After all, settling for Younghyun is never settling for less.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- fun fact: i really WAS planning on making younghyun spy on the both of them, then i realized that was kind of ooc of him in this context and with the characterization he was able to develop by this point  
> \- also YAS to dowoon defending his boyfriend we stan  
> \- also shout-out to jackson and his love for drawing you will make a beautiful career as a manhwa artist dont you worry my baby boy  
> \- also jieun :(
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	33. Supermarket adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supermarket adventure.

Younghyun feels his eyebrow twitch a little and he squints, watching the scene in front of him.

            “We’re amazing to mash and be mixed with butter,” the potatoes say. “When you make mashed potatoes with us, the entire apartment smells really nice, almost as if we're trying to put you in a trance.”

            “But mashed potatoes aren't on the menu today, silly root crops,” say the lettuces. “Younghyun was tasked to buy meat today, and for what other reason would he buy meat if not for a lettuce wrap? Obviously, I’m the better choice.”

            Younghyun places a hand on his temple as the vegetables argue in front of him.

            “This is even worse than when I had to decide whether A or C was the answer to that test,” he says to himself, stressed beyond belief. “A was set out to murder C even though C was _clearly_ innocent.”

            As mentioned by the lettuce, Younghyun was tasked today to buy various ingredients at the supermarket in preparation for a dinner with the Yoon family. Mom and Dad had finally come around to an agreement to the family dinner they started planning months prior, and as usual, it involved making Younghyun do half the decision-making.

            “Mom and I couldn't agree to what kind of vegetables to put in the dinner,” his dad said to him, “so we just thought it would be better for you to choose, son. I know you’ll make the right decision and choose potatoes.”

            “As if!” his mom said, indignant. “My son will definitely choose lettuce. We can make a wrap with the meat!”

            “That's so old-fashioned! It’s better to have mashed potatoes at the side. The Yoons would probably want something fancier.”

            “The Yoons aren't that petty to complain about whatever’s ‘low-class’. I mean—Dowoonnie chose Younghyun-ah with no complaint!”

            “Hey,” Younghyun said.

            “Isn't it better for them to get to know the _real_ us with no forward appearance?” his mom continued. “It isn't like us to just act and pretend to be fancier than we really are just to make a good impression—we only need to be who we _truly_ are.”

            “But—but—” Dad struggled a bit. “But _mashed potatoes_ , Hyunjoon! Who would say no to _mashed potatoes_?”

            Younghyun had somehow successfully slipped out of the apartment before either of them noticed he was gone.

            “How did I get myself into this?” Younghyun says to himself, pushing a cheek up with a knuckle. “Both of them are equally scary when it comes to these things… if I choose potatoes, Mom will yell at me… if I choose lettuce, Dad will give me the silent treatment… it’s like both situations are the worse one.”

            Younghyun continues to mull over his heavy burden with a comically contorted face when a figure stops a short distance in front of him, surprised at seeing him here.

            “Younghyun?” Dowoon asks, eyes wide.

            At that, Younghyun whips his head to the direction of his voice and suddenly the widest smile pulls up his face, reaching up to his ears.

            “Dowoon!” he calls out and immediately stands up from his crouch and runs up to him, pulling him in a tight hug and burying his face in his neck. “Didn't think I’d meet you here.”

            “Me neither.” Dowoon blushingly receives the hug, a bit self-conscious at how some of the customers are staring at their PDA. You’d think he just got down from the airplane after twenty years abroad, or something. “What are you doing?”

            “Just buying some ingredients for the dinner tonight.” Younghyun finally pulls away, letting Dowoon breathe. “Mom and Dad couldn't decide on lettuce or potatoes, so they made me decide.”

            Dowoon frowns. “Is this a ‘Which side do you favor thing’?”

            “Yes, it is.”

            “It’s like whichever side you choose, it's always the worse one.”

            “Tell me about it.”

            Younghyun presses a kiss onto Dowoon’s forehead and grabs his hand, pulling him to where he had been crouching earlier. Dowoon doesn't give any argument.

            “How about you? What are you doing here?” Younghyun asks as the both of them crouch down in front of the vegetable containers. He picks up a potato and turns it around, the root crop yelling, “Ey! Get yer grubby hands off me!”

            “Almost the same thing as you,” Dowoon answers. “The fridge ran out, so Mother asked me to buy some food.”

            “That giant fridge in your kitchen ran out?” Dowoon nods a yes at Younghyun’s surprised expression. “Huh. Well, what'd she ask you to buy?”

            “She told me I could choose whatever I want. So, I just got as many as I could.”

            Dowoon gestures to something besides Younghyun, and the boy almost drops his potato when he spots what he’s pointing at.

            It’s a shopping cart, filled up to the brim with what looks like every single food item from the supermarket. There's about a hundred different canned goods to the side, and all the vegetables are at the bottom.

            “I didn't know which ones to get, so I just got all of them. That makes sense, right?” Dowoon asks, then looks at Younghyun’s expression. “Oh,” is all he says.

            Younghyun shakes his head with a smile on his face, already pulling Dowoon up from the floor with him, dropping the potato back in its container with a tiny “Nooo! Come baaack!”

            “You can’t just get every single thing you see—you gotta think of whether or not you need it,” Younghyun says, peering over at the shopping cart. “What foods does your mom usually make? What spices does she usually use? What does she hate—what do _you_ hate? You gotta think of these things when you're buying stuff without a list.”

            He picks up a can of pork spam.

            “Like this,” he says, showing Dowoon the can. “Doesn't your mom not like eating this? She prefers turkey spam, doesn't she?”

            “Yeah…” Dowoon picks up a bottle of mayonnaise. “She also likes the plain flavor of mayonnaise without all the little tidbits in it…”

            “Also, Dowoon, you also gotta think about the quantity of the things you gotta buy.” Younghyun picks up an orange and a bottle of banana milk. “You can't just take one of each, so you could have a lot. The key is getting the right _amount_ that you need for the right kinds of _food_ you need. Are you really telling me you're only gonna eat _one_ orange in one sitting?”

            “I guess I should've gotten four or five more…”

            “You gotta make the right decisions so you don't waste anything.” Younghyun puts the items back in the shopping cart. “There are lots of people who worked hard for this; it’d be a shame for all that effort to bear fruitless.”

            Dowoon nods, learning a lot from just this alone. It stings a little to know that he'd been stupid, but at least he knows more now.

            “Alright, I get it,” he says, reaching to get the stuff he doesn't need. “I should probably return these white chocolate chips and the spam, too…”

            Dowoon looks around, head turning.

            “Where did I even get these…” he mutters to himself, sounding clueless.

            Younghyun breathes out a laughter, letting go of his hand to grab the handle of the shopping cart.

            “Sweets are way in that part of the supermarket,” he says, pushing the cart in that direction. “Canned goods are over there. Which should we head to first?” Younghyun asks, turning to look at Dowoon.

            “Probably the canned goods,” he answers. “They're nearer and I got, like, a hundred of them. Mother doesn't even like canned goods that much.”

            Younghyun smiles to himself. “Smart choice.”

            As they walk towards the aisle of the canned goods, two figures pass them by, neither of the pairs noticing each other.

            “Thank you for helping me with the groceries, Jaehyung,” Areum says, an eco bag hanging from her elbow. “I have a lot to buy today so it's great to have someone help me carry.”

            “It’s no biggie, noona,” Jaehyung says, hands in his jacket pockets. “I’ve got a lot of free time today. If you ever need help for anything, you can always ask me. Unless it’s baking, then please don't ask me for that. Unless you want to burn your kitchen down, then by all means please ask me for that.”

            Areum laughs at that as they pass by the vegetable section of the supermarket. “It is still amazing how you managed to burn those cookies so easily,” she says, recalling. “It was such an easy recipe, too.”

            “Hey, I wasn't the only one who messed up, noona,” Jaehyung protests. “Ji and Dowoon both sucked at it, too.”

            “It’s a good thing Younghyun saved you three in the end,” Areum says with a smile. “Those cookies were delicious.”

            Jaehyung watches her red smile for a bit, a thought coming to his mind.

            “Were they, noona?” he asks after a while.

            “Hm? Oh, yes.” Areum stops by the dairy section, reaching over to get two cups of yogurt. “Cookies are my second-favorite dessert, you know? Second only to cake.”

            Jaehyung nods to himself as Areum stuffs her eco bag with more cups of yogurt. Maybe he could ask Younghyun to teach him, sometime.

            Suddenly, Jaehyung’s pocket vibrates and he reaches in to see a familiar photo on-screen.

            “Hang on, noona, I have to take this,” he says before putting his phone to his ear. “What do you want, loser?”

            “— _a_ bunny _, Jae! It was a bunny and it was lonely and I—I just—_ ”

            “Wait, wait, slow down—what?” Jaehyung says. Jieun was already talking before he picked up the phone; she sounds like she's crying. “What do you mean—what bunny?”

            “ _There was a_ stuffed bunny _, Jae! It was in the middle of the road, lost and forgotten! It was so sad and lonely, Jae. I wanted to go get it, but the light was red and before I knew it, a car ran out over it and ripped the stuffed bunny into shreds and I—I—_ ”

            Jieun suddenly bursts crying from the other side of the call and Jaehyung has to remove his phone from his ear lest blood start leaking out of it.

            Areum watches Jaehyung as he argues with whoever he's talking to on the phone, looking really stressed and exasperated.

            “Look, it was just a stuffed bunny; there are _tons_ of stuffed bunnies! … I don't know—maybe it belonged to a kid and— _no, don't start crying about th—aw…_ Just—just—if you would j—… WHAT DOES _THAT_ HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?”

            Jaehyung argues with that person a bit more and Areum watches him as he does, wondering who that is and wondering how they're related… sister, father, cousin, friend… girlfriend…

            And then Areum shakes her head with a smile on her face, grabbing another cup of yogurt. It doesn't matter, does it? … Well, it does. But Areum doesn't have the right to voice it now. She'll just have to keep it inside until she's allowed to. After all, that's what she promised to do, right?

            “—ust get home and I’ll get to you when I’m finished here,” Jaehyung says. “Text me when you get there, alright? Ask Grandmother to make you macaroni soup. … _Yes_ , the one with milk in it. … Yeah… Yeah… Bye, loser. Don't die.”

            Jaehyung hangs up and walks over to Areum with a sigh.

            “Sorry, noona. Ji can be such a pain in the butt sometimes,” he says, pocketing his phone.

            “That was Jieun?” Areum asks, reading the label of a yogurt brand that wasn't here last week. She puts it in with the rest of them.

            “Yeah. She's been crying over this girl who I think dumped her after one date?” Jaehyung contorts his face. “Though I’m not sure if they were dating before that.”

            Areum hums. “You care for her a lot,” she says, off-handedly. She dumps another yogurt cup.

            “When you've been best friends with someone for eleven years, it kind of becomes a habit.”

            Areum hums again. “You two would be cute together,” she says. “She likes boys, too, right?”

            Areum scans an old flavor she's tried many times. It’s a flavor not many people like because they think it’s “made for old people taste buds”, but Areum likes it quite a bit. She puts it in her bag.

            “We've been best friends for eleven years,” Jaehyung says, “but I've never looked at her that way once.”

            Areum looks over at him at that and finds him staring up at her with serious eyes.

            He stares a bit more before he takes the eco bag from Areum and moves away.

            “Woah, you really like yogurt, noona,” he says, back to her. “You're not going to down all of this in one go, are you? That isn't good for your stomach.”

            Areum stares at the way Jaehyung is struggling to carry the bag, muscles too weak, arms a bit too thin.

            She feels a smile tug at her lips and she catches up with him.

            “You look funny trying to carry all that, Jaehyung,” she laughs.

            “I’m not… really… built… for this sort of thing…”

            Areum laughs again and takes the bag from Jaehyung’s arms, laughing once when she hears him heave a relieved sigh.

            “I can't believe you can carry all of that; that bag is _huge_ ,” Jaehyung says, rubbing at his arms. “I don't think I can help you with carrying… _anything_ , really.”

            Areum giggles. “Well, you can help me walk me home,” she says.

            Jaehyung smiles at her. “Yeah, I think I can manage that.”

            They pass by an aisle and walk towards the cashier as Younghyun and Dowoon walk back from the sweets section, the shopping cart now only a third of the way full.

            “Seriously, Dowoon, why did you even _get_ a kilo of rice flour when neither you nor your mom have any use for it?” Younghyun asks.

            “I don't know—instinct?” Dowoon shrugs. “There's just a feeling you get at the idea of buying rice flour. Like it's a novelty or something.”

            “Well, if you're just gonna end up leaving it on the shelf, then that novelty is for nothing.”

            They get back to the vegetables section.

            “Did you get everything you needed?” Younghyun asks, crouching down in front of the potatoes and lettuces. _We meet again_ , they all think.

            “Yeah, I think this is enough,” Dowoon says, peering down into the shopping cart. He looks over where Younghyun is crouched down. “How about you? Did you decide on which parent to make angry?”

            “Not yet…” Younghyun bites his bottom lip. “I’m trying to come up with a way to justify _both_ choices so that I wouldn't get scolded if I pick one of them.”

            “That's actually very smart of you; I’m proud.” Dowoon walks over and crouches down next to him. “Did your parents tell you it had to be either potatoes or lettuce?”

            “Well, no,” Younghyun says, trying to recall something like that. “They told me the choice was up to me.”

            “Then, don't choose either of them,” Dowoon says. “It’s your choice, right? Get a vegetable that _you_ want. Your parents can't get mad at you for doing what makes you happy.”

            Younghyun stares at him for a moment, feels like that sentence should've been for a different context, but still feels touched, anyway.

            He picks up a carrot.

            “Carrots _were_ always my favorite root crop,” Younghyun says.

            Dowoon picks one up as well, nodding. “Carrots it is.”

            They get a bunch of carrots and place it inside the shopping cart next to Dowoon’s items, satisfied with their work.

            Suddenly, a can of tomatoes rolls towards and hits Dowoon on the foot, and he yelps in surprise. He thinks the canned goods had come for him after Dowoon put all of them back, but then Younghyun points at something.

            “Oh, look, that girl is having trouble carrying her things,” Younghyun says, looking in front of him.

            At a short distance from the two of them, a short girl with short hair is carrying a bunch of different grocery items in her tiny little arms, looking like they're gonna topple her at any moment.

            “Hang on, I’m gonna go help her,” Younghyun says, already walking over.

            Meanwhile, Mina continues to struggle carrying about a hundred different things at once.

            “Ugh, why did I think doing this was a good idea?” she asks herself, trying to look past her groceries (her mistakes) and find her way back to where she was before. “If Mommy and Daddy see me like this, they'll never let me carry _anything_.”

            “Excuse me, miss! I think it’s better to put all that stuff here.”

            Suddenly, someone directs her arms to a certain direction, making all her grocery items fall gently down into a plastic grocery basket.

            “Oh, thank you!” Mina looks up to see a boy with a polite smile on his face, looking down at her. “Sorry for the trouble.”

            “It’s no problem,” he says, and places all her items in the basket. Looking at him now, he seems a bit familiar. She thanks him again as she receives the basket.

            “Oh?” says the boy, picking up packaged curry powder. “Are you making curry?”

            “Oh, yes, I am,” Mina says, laughing a little. “It’s my first time making it.”

            “Then, it’s better for you to choose a different brand than this,” the boy says, flipping the curry powder to the other side. “This one's on the cheap side, but it's more artificial flavoring than actual curry. You should get the blue one, the one that has a transparent film at the front.”

            “Wow, you really know a lot about cooking,” Mina says, a bit surprised. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

            Someone in the distance suddenly whips their head, as if they heard the question.

            The boy, in turn, tilts his head, confused.

            “A girlfriend?” he asks. “Why would I—”

            Suddenly, a parade of footsteps comes stomping over to where Mina and the boy are, and it takes Mina a total of one (1) second to process another boy walking his way towards them, suddenly grabbing the first boy’s cheeks, and then pulling him down to kiss him full-front on the lips.

            Needless to say, Mina’s mind was full of nothing but !!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!???????????

            The second boy pulls away and the first boy looks like he got drained of all energy, about to fall down to the floor and die, maybe.

            “I’m his boyfriend,” the second boy says to Mina, face completely red, especially around the ears. “We've been dating for six months.”

            A tense, awkward silence falls between them, with the first boy almost lifeless, the second boy looking like he's holding back a lot of things, and Mina’s mind still nothing but !!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!???????????

            Then, the second boy bows at Mina once before dragging his boyfriend away, as if pulling a dead body.

            Mina stares wide-eyed at the two of them, clutching onto her plastic grocery basket like it’s her baby.

 _People are really bold nowadays…_ she thinks, turning away.

            “Mina! Mina! Thank god we found you!”

            Mina’s expression goes from mildly impressed to extremely deadpan when she spots her parents running towards her, looking as if they lost her years ago.

            “Mommy, Daddy, I told you I was going to the vegetable section,” she says as her father takes the basket from her.

            “But you've been gone for six minutes!” her mother says, placing a hand on her arms. “You're not sore, are you?”

            “Mommy, I’m sixteen! I’m not a baby anymore. You didn’t even have to accompany me here; I can buy groceries on my own.”

            “But remember the last time you bought groceries alone? The bag was infested with bugs!” her father says. “You should be thankful we're only here for the supermarket. If it were up to me, I wouldn't even let you go window shopping in the district area alone.”

            “Not only that, sweetie, but you were crying so much a few days ago, too.” Her mother places a hand on her cheek, and Mina softens a little. “You won't even tell us who it is you went on that date with. Can you blame us for being worried?”

            Mina lets out a defeated sigh. “No,” she admits.

            “Then, be a good girl and let us accompany you in the supermarket,” her mother says, stretching out her arm and letting Mina wrap hers around it. “And make sure to tell us where in the district area you'll be going.”

            “Send a text every hour or two hours,” her father adds.

            “Don't talk to strangers.”

            “And be home by sunset.”

            “Sunset?” Mina echoes, surprised. They usually only ever let her out until four.

            Her parents give each other a knowing look.

            “We know you're growing up,” her mother says. “And we know why you're trying so hard to be independent. It’s hard, but…”

            “But as long as you're safe, it doesn't matter if you go home by sunset,” her father finishes, a bit stiff.

            At that, Mina lets a small smile pull up her face. She places a kiss on both their cheeks.

            “Thanks, Mommy, Daddy,” she says, letting them accompany their little girl to the cashier.

            Meanwhile, at the vegetable aisle, Younghyun has his head buried in the carrot container.

            “Younghyun, get your head out of the carrots; I’m pretty sure that's not allowed,” Dowoon says as he’s crouched down with him, though the blush on his ears knows exactly why Younghyun is being like this right now.

            “You _kissed_ me,” Younghyun says, putting his messy head up. “Like, five minutes ago.”

            “Like I've never kissed you before.” Dowoon reaches up to fix Younghyun’s hair.

            “But you kissed me in front of a stranger! You told her you were my boyfriend! And that we've been dating for six months!”

            “Am I not your boyfriend?” Dowoon raises an eyebrow. “Have we not been dating for six months?”

            At that, Younghyun blushes red, and now Dowoon understands why the boy likes it when Dowoon gets embarrassed like this. Red suits Younghyun well.

            “Ugh, I hate that you became so confident these days,” Younghyun says, turning away and covering a part of his face with his hand. “I don't know how to deal with it.”

            At that, a playful smile plays on Dowoon’s lips.

            “You don't know how to deal with it?” he asks, leaning a bit into Younghyun’s space. “We've been dating for so long and yet you don't know me that well enough?”

            “Th-that's not what I said—”

            “Why don't I kiss you again, so you'd know how to deal with it?” Dowoon suggests. “Five times. Ten times. So, you'd get used to it. Or maybe it's better if you don't get used to it so then I could surprise you every time.”

            “ _Dowoon_ ,” Younghyun says, face buried in his hands. “We're in _public_.”

            Dowoon holds back a laughter at the thought that suddenly came in his mind.

            “Don't you know I love doing it in public?” he asks and that is the exact moment the both of them lose it.

            A figure behind them stares as Yoon Dowoon laughs—no, _guffaws_ at how Kang Younghyun splutters and squawks at his boyfriend, completely mortified beyond belief.

            “What are we even doing here,” Wonpil says, deadpan. “ _Why_ are we here. _What_ has the world come to.”

            “Leave them be, Pillie. They’re keeping the world in balance by being constantly in love with each other,” Sungjin says, popping up beside him with a bunch of snacks in his arms. “Look, Pillie,” he says, wiggling a jelly stick in front of him. “You used to love eating this as a kid. Guess that must've been a sign.”

            Wonpil smacks the jelly stick out of Sungjin’s hand.

            “Eating long things as a kid isn't a sign that you're gay!” Wonpil screeches at him.

            “I never said it was long things.” Sungjin grins at him. “And I never said you were gay.”

            “Ugh, you are _unbelieveable._ ”

            Wonpil stomps his way away from Sungjin. “Go pick that jelly stick up and return it to the shelf,” he orders.

            “So, you like to be dominant, huh?” Sungjin says, picking up the jelly stick. “Whatever you say, Master.”

            “ _DON’T CALL ME THAT_.”

            “Alright, then, da—”

            Wonpil grabs Sungjin by the collar, _both_ of his eyes twitching.

            “Call me that and I will murder you,” he seethes.

            “ _Very_ kinky, but don’t worry; I accept you.” Sungjin nods in understanding.

            Wonpil lets out a loud angry noise like a really angry bunny before stomping away from Sungjin, as if to disassociate himself from him forever.

            Sungjin just laughs to himself as he follows him, happy to see the guy so energetic. He looks back to see Younghyun and Dowoon now laughing together, trying to shush each other up before they get caught by security. It’s nice to see people so happy like that. And it’s even nicer to see the people you _care_ about be happy like that.

            Sungjin turns away and follows Wonpil to the cashier, telling the stranger in front of him in line, “I’m with the guy in front. Please let me pass.”

            He stands next to him in line, waiting for their turn.

 

Younghyun and Dowoon leave the supermarket fifteen minutes later, each carrying a paper bag. Dowoon had a lot more on him, so Younghyun is helping him carry the other bag.

            “I can't believe that security guard almost kicked us out,” Dowoon says.

            “It’s your fault for suggesting we make out in public,” Younghyun says, bitterly embarrassed. “That sort of thing is sacred.”

            “So, it _was_ only kissing you were thinking about.”

            “What else is there?”

            “Oh, Younghyun. There is a _lot_ still there.”

            Younghyun contorts his face at that, confused, and Dowoon lets out a laugh. Who knew such an ugly face would be so kissable?

            “Well, we should probably head home to your house quickly,” Younghyun says, changing the subject. “I gotta get these carrots home before three or else Mom and Dad will murder me.”

            At that, Dowoon looks at Younghyun as the latter looks forward. Dowoon stares a bit more and Younghyun looks at him, questioningly.

            “What is it?” he asks.

            “Why don't I walk you home today?” Dowoon suggests. “Instead of you walking me home?”

            Younghyun blinks. “Why?” he asks. “If we do that, you're gonna have to carry all of these on your own.” He said that while gesturing to the bags of groceries. “And your house is a lot farther from here than mine.”

            “Well, _you're_ always walking me home,” Dowoon says. “You do it so you're sure I’m home safe, right? Can't I do the same for you?”

            “But then how would I know _you're_ home safe after you get _me_ home safe?”

            “That's the question that keeps popping up in my head whenever you walk me home.”

            At that, Younghyun blinks, surprised, and Dowoon lets out a sigh.

            “Just let me do something for you for once,” he says. “Why do you give yourself so little?”

            “So, I could give more to you.”

            Dowoon stops in his tracks and presses a kiss on Younghyun’s lips, light and fleeting.

            “The more you give to you,” he says, “the more you give to me. Okay?”

            Younghyun stares at him for a while. Then, he presses a quick kiss on his lips, too.

            “Then, text me once you get home,” he says.

            Dowoon grins.

            “I’ll text you every ten minutes, if you want.”

            “No, no, you'll be walking around with your phone ready to be stolen,” Younghyun says, walking again. “Also, someone could bump into you and you'll drop your phone. _Also_ , you could get distracted and walk a red light, or something.”

            “You really think these sort of things through, huh.”

            “It keeps me up at night, sometimes.”

            “Is that why you're always so sleepy?”

            “Oh, no, that's just from my mom. According to my dad, I got the sleeping curse from her.”

            “But you wake up so early in the morning, though?”

            “It was only a recently developed habit. Back in the day, it was like I was a sleeping dead.”

            “Ah. Your father mentioned that to me once.”

            “Oh, really? That’s fun— _wait, you've talked to my dad_?”

            “Uh, yeah? Why is that so surprising?”

            “Is this when you two went to get those dolls?”

            “Oh. Yeah.”

            “Ughhh, he found out so many things that day. Mom and Dad keep teasing me and everything.”

            “Is _that_ why you won't tell them anything about us?”

            “Yeah! It’s a nightmare!”

            “Oh. Sorry about that.”

            “Nah, it’s fine. At least, there wasn't much damage.”

            “Those dolls were pretty cute, though. Wish I could've gotten one.”

            “Oh, really? I could ask Dad to get you one.”

            “Really? How much is one?”

            “It’s on the house.”

            “No, no, I wanna pay for it. Honest. How much is one?”

            “Well, if you insist… one doll is 3,000 won.”

            “That's so cheap! I could buy a hundred of that!”

            “You can buy a _hundred_ of that?”

            “If I wanted to. But I really only want one.”

            “Oh? Which one?”

            “The fox one.”

            “Oh? Why?”

            “It kinda looks like you.”

            “What? No, it doesn't.”

            “Yeah, it does.”

            “No, it doesn't.”

            “Yes, it does!”

            “Come on, how does it look anyway like me?”

            “The eyes? The cheeks? The fact that foxes are generally annoying?”

            “Okay, rude.”

            “It’s true!”

            “Well, then, you look kinda like the dog.”

            “The dog?”

            “Yeah, it kinda looks like you!”

            “How?”

            “It’s cute.”

            “All the stuffed animals are c…”

            “Well, that one’s the cutes…”

            “To be honest, the chi…”

            “Hmm, nah. The d…”

            “It kinda looks l…”

            “The eyes, r…”

            “Yeah, th…”

            “Hey, d…”

            “No, I…”

            “Re…”

            “I…”

            “…”

            “…”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- believe me when i say i originally had no freaking idea what this chapter would even be about i just put in "supermarket adventure" in the outline with absolutely no plan for any sort of plot whatsoever it just ended up this way on a whim hasjdkashkda  
> \- but yes, this is actually another one of my favorite chapters, tho not as much as ch 26 ^^  
> \- also i laughed really loudly during the vegetable talking scene dont @ me mababaw lang talaga kaligayahan ko  
> \- also fun fact: the foods dowoon puts back on the shelf are foods i personally dont like myself :^)
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	34. Magic Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonpil and Sungjin revisit an old music shop from their childhood.

“Are you sure those two _aren't_ , like, married?” Sungjin asks as they leave the supermarket. “Or at the very least engaged to each other? It really feels like they've been together for fifty years, and neither of them have even lived to half that time period.”

            Wonpil rolls his eyes, feeling annoyed at the question and at how noisy (lovey-dovey) Kang Younghyun and Yoon Dowoon had been at the supermarket earlier. Honestly, it was just carrots.

            Wonpil scoffs. “How would I know? Not like I’m engaged to anybody. Nor will I _ever_ be.”

            The two of them walk in the streets of the city, close to the district area, each carrying a plastic bag. They had been tasked by both Wonpil’s parents _and_ Sungjin’s parents to buy all the ingredients for their joint family dinner. As their mothers are best friends like the two of them, they tend to have these joint gatherings quite often.

            “There he goes again with his downer mood,” Sungjin says and Wonpil doesn't have to look to see him shaking his head in disappointment. “It's such a sunny day out and you're just bringing in the rain.”

            “Sunny days and good moods are mutually exclusive,” Wonpil says, a car passing by his right.

            “Well, it's not like you're _ever_ in a good mood,” Sungjin says. “The last time I saw you smile was two weeks ago. And that was when we had to take the class photo.”

            Wonpil turns to him and plasters a fake smile.

            “There. You happy?” He drops it as soon as he brought it up.

            “Sassmaster,” Sungjin says, an obvious roll in his eyes as he says it.

            Wonpil lets out a sigh, turning a corner. They find themselves in the district area, a place with more shops and more people. Right now, it’s pretty crowded and a bit noisy since it's the weekend and the sun is at its peak. Oh, and it’s the time of the year in which hearts and the color red are venerated like a high form of deity. Wonpil regrets the world in his disgust.

            “I just miss how you would just laugh so easily at literally anything,” Sungjin says, moving closer to Wonpil to avoid the crowd. “You always grinned so widely, and you were always so clingy… if I ever saw you frown it would only be because you were watching Love Letter and it was the scene that always made you cry.”

            Wonpil rolls his eyes at that.

            “People change, you know,” Wonpil says, looking at Sungjin and watching him look back. “Things happen. And sometimes things happen even if you don't want them to. All of that… it can change people.”

            Sungjin furrows his eyebrows.

            “Then, what changed you?” he asks.

            At that, Wonpil finds a lump in his throat, his answer clogged up, unable to come out.

            “… School,” he eventually says, voice tiny. “Homework. Stress. Getting into college and having to think about what career I should take up. We're eighteen, Sungjin. We gotta grow up sooner or later.”

            Sungjin frowns.

            “If you're taking the life out of you, you're not growing up—you're dying,” he says.

            “I’m still breathing,” Wonpil says.

            “Breathing doesn't mean you're alive.”

            They stare at each other for a moment, still walking. Eventually, Wonpil looks away, turning to what's in front of him.

            “Breathing is better than nothing,” he says.

            He feels Sungjin ruffle his hair.

            “Laughing is breathing, too, you know,” he says. “I wanna see you laugh again.”

            Wonpil breathes out a laughter at that, knowing the truth. _You can't breathe while laughing, Sungjn_.

            Right now, breathing is all he can do.

            “Oh? Pillie, look—it’s The Magic Shop!”

            Wonpil turns to his right to see a store situated between a boutique and a barber shop. It’s a tiny little shop with a homey palette combining wood, gold, and steel, with instruments of every kind displayed by the windows, and even more inside. On the front of the shop reads “The Music Shop: Home to All Your Music Needs”.

            “It’s been such a long time since we've visited,” Sungjin says, almost absent-mindedly. “Remember when we used to pretend that this place was a Witch's Tavern?”

            “Yeah, I do.” Wonpil nods, recalling the memories. “It was stupid.”

            “Pillie!” Sungjin turns to him, scandalized. “How could you?”

            “Sungjin, shut up—you're acting like Park Jaehyung,” Wonpil dismisses him. “Just be real, Sungjin: all those things about witches and fairies and knights in shining armor—none of those are real and they've never been. They're all just child play and frankly, I have no idea why we even named this ‘The Magic Shop’ when it _clearly_ says ‘The _Music_ Shop’.”

            “ _You_ were the one who named it that,” Sungjin says.

            “ _And_ I was stupid child who believed in fantasy when reality is so much realer—exactly my point,” Wonpil says, crossing his arms. “Can we go now?”

            “Come _on_ ,” Sungjin says, pulling at Wonpil’s crossed arms. “It’s not like I’m asking you to pretend it’s a magic shop like when we were kids. It’s a fond memory.”

            “It’s a stupid memory.”

            “Okay— _fine._ It’s a ‘stupid’ memory. But let's at least relive it for a while. It’s been such a long time since we've gone here.”

            “Sungjin, we have errands. We have _homework_ —”

            “Let’s at least greet Grandmother Nam. She must be wondering how we've been all this time. Don't make a poor old lady sad.”

            At that, Wonpil hesitates. Then, he gives in.

            “Ugh, fine,” he says, walking inside before Sungjin. “But only to greet Grandmother and then we're _gone_.”

            Grandmother Nam is the old lady tending to the shop—also known as the Wise Old Witch of the Magic Shop, according to seven-year-old Wonpil. Her husband had passed away long before Wonpil and Sungjin started visiting the old shop, leaving her with her only son Eric. Eric used to help Grandmother with tending the shop but judging by how there's only one smile greeting Wonpil and Sungjin behind the counter, he's out.

            “Wonpillie! Sungjinnie! My, how you've grown!” Grandmother greets the two of them, waddling over from behind the counter in order to give both of them a hug. Her hair is fully white now, when before she used to dye it black to “not seem _that_ old”. “How old are you now? How are your wives?”

            “We're not _that_ old, Grandmother,” Sungjin chuckles, receiving her tight hug gently—don't wanna break old bones. “We're still in our last year of high school. A few more months and we're graduating.”

            “Oh, my! Graduating high school, hm?” Grandmother hugs Wonpil and he pats her on the back, giving her a polite smile. “Have you two thought of what you want to take up?”

            “I was thinking of just getting an office job,” Sungjin says. “Pillie’s going to take up Accounting.”

            “ _Accounting_?” Grandmother echoes, looking at Wonpil with an “Oh, really?” expression. “From what I can remember, you wanted to be a _wizard._ Are you sure you don't want to take up Magic classes?”

            Wonpil shakes his head, resisting the urge to roll his eyes rudely. “No, Grandmother. Magic doesn't exist.”

            She gasps, scandalized. “Wonpillie! How could you?”

            He also resists the urge to smack his palm against his face.

            “You two really have grown, hm?” Grandmother says, almost melancholic. “It seems like yesterday when you were just running around and pretending all the instruments in here were magical—Eric-ah would always run around with you and grab onto you so you'd stop messing up the displays.”

            “Wait—Eric-hyung _wasn't_ pretending to be an evil monster, Grandmother?” Sungjin back-tracks. “He was just trying to wrangle us up?”

            “I’m afraid so.” Grandmother nods solemnly. “Right now, he’s living in America, chasing after a girl he fell deeply in love with. Unfortunately, he didn't realize Georgia is _not_ , in fact, in California.”

            Wonpil and Sungjin nod, both of them somehow relating to the sad story in their own way.

            “Anyway, it was wonderful meeting you again, Grandmother,” Wonpil says. “Me and Sungjin actually have some errands to do, so we need to go home quick.”

            “So soon?” Grandmother frowns, looking sad. “But you've just arrived. You don't want to make a poor old lady sad, do you?”

            Wonpil already knows Sungjin’s giving him the “I told you” face. He refuses to look at it—re _fuses_.

            “At least play one song for me before you go,” Grandmother says. “Just like you used to do. I promise I’ll listen to all of it even if the notes are all out-of-tune.”

            Sungjin lets out a breath of laughter. “Don't worry, Grandmother. Pillie and I have gotten _much_ better at playing, promise.”

            Wonpil frowns. “But I haven't played the piano in months.”

            “Then, it's time you started again. Come on, let's play.”

            Reluctantly, Wonpil follows Sungjin towards the grand piano displayed near the window. Sungjin himself grabs an acoustic guitar and gets a chair, sitting on it.

            Wonpil opens up the piano and looks down on the black and white keys, reliving so many memories from just seeing these. He presses on one key, then plays a few simple chords, getting a feel for it.

            “Play that song you’ve always tried to play,” Grandmother asks, sitting by the grand piano. “It would be wonderful to see how it sounds when played beautifully.”

            Wonpil looks over at Sungjin, who's already looking at him. He gives him a nudge of the head, telling him, “Go on. You start.”

            And so, he does, filling The Music Shop with notes from his memory.

            He plays Bluestone Alley, a song Wonpil had chanced upon as a kid when looking over his father’s old piano sheet books. He had begged Sungjin to help him play it and it was then that the two of them started to play their respective instruments. It was this song that started it all.

            He plays the notes gently, mellow, almost as if he just lightly brushes against the keys. The melody makes him close his eyes, as if sending him to sleep, the notes sending a tiny crack onto his heart, just a little. It’s as if the song is trying to pull a memory out of Wonpil’s mind, a memory he can't quite remember, a vague one trying to be clear.

            And then, Sungjin accompanies Wonpil with his guitar and suddenly the memory is as clear as day.

            Wonpil and Sungjin are running inside The Magic Shop, laughing and giggling with every step. Everywhere they turn they see wonderful trinkets of every kind, golden discs that shake up your heart, wooden ornaments that sing to you when you pass by their strings, and magic wands that use wind to gather power.

            “Look, Jinnie! Look! Look!” Wonpil calls the boy over. “They have a new contraption for The Magic Shop!”

            Sungjin gasps wide and loud, running over to him.

            “Wahhh, it’s really huge!” he says, spreading his arms wide as if to emphasize its hugeness. “What does it do?”

            “It… um… ah!” Wonpil jumps up and down, excited. “I bet it can send you to any place you want if you play it! It even has seats and everything!”

            “Let’s go on it!”

            Sungjin and Wonpil jump on the long chair of the new, black contraption and open it up.

            “Wahhh, it’s got lots of teeth!” Sungjin says. “What if it eats me?”

            “It won't eat you, Jinnie! I promise to protect you!” Wonpil giggles, pressing onto the teeth of the contraption. “Where do you wanna go, Jinnie? Hmm… Busan is here—” he presses on a white tooth— “Japan is over here—” he presses on a black tooth— “aaand Korea is waaay over here!” He presses on the farthest tooth. “We can go wherever you want, Jinnie!”

            Sungjin puts his lips out in a thinking pout, tapping a thinking finger on his temple.

            “Which one is a place with you, Pillie?” he asks. “Because I wanna always be with you, wherever we go!”

            Wonpil giggles at that, mouth wide and big. He traps Sungjin in a tight embrace, squeezing very, very hard.

            “You don't need to press a key, silly!” he giggles. “I’m right here!”

            Sungjin gasps out loud, like it's a revelation. “You're right! You are!”

            Wonpil grabs Sungjin’s hand. “As long as you hold onto my hand, we'll never be apart!” he says. “We'll be together forever!”

            Sungjin giggles at that. “Then, let's go anywhere!”

            “Okay, Anywhere it is!” Wonpil says. “Ready, Jinnie?

            “One—two—three—”

            Sungjin plays the wrong chord and Wonpil snaps out of it, staring at the grand piano, back in the present. He had been so submerged into the song that it was like he had been transported back in time, to when the grand piano first appeared in The Magic Shop.

            He turns back to Sungjin. “Hey, Sungjin. Why'd you get the note wr—”

            … _Ah_. He should've known. Of course, it would be this—what else could it be?

            Sungjin is staring worried at something beyond the glass window, fingers no longer on the strings of his guitar. Wonpil doesn't have to look to know what he's looking at, but he does, anyway.

            It’s Jieun, walking across the street with a stricken look on her face, walking slowly, head bent down. It’s not the usual bubbly way she goes about things. She looks sullen. Sad. And Sungjin looks that way, too. Sullen. Sad.

            It's the same song playing over and over again.

            Wonpil stares at Sungjin staring at Jieun staring at something else. It’s an unbroken connection that binds the three of them together, whether or not they all know about it. Wonpil stares at Sungjin. Sungjin stares at her. And she stares at something else. Never looking back. None of them looking back at the person looking at them.

            Wonpil wonders how Sungjin still hasn't noticed. How Sungjin doesn't realize that the same look he gives her, the same feeling he has for her, is the same one Wonpil has for him. If Wonpil was Sungjin, he'd recognize that look immediately, realizing how familiar it is, how it        feels like you're looking at a mirror. If Wonpil was Sungjin, he'd return the look. If Wonpil was Sungjin, he'd turn to look back.

            But Wonpil isn't Sungjin and he knows the reason why Sungjin hasn't realized it yet is because Sungjin is never going to look back at him. He is never going to look at him back. Never. Not ever.

            He’s known this for three years. But it still hurts all the same.

            “Sungjin,” Wonpil starts, and the boy doesn't look at him.

            “Sungjin. Sungjin. Sungjin. Sungjin.

            “Sungjin. Sungjin. Sungjin. Sungjin.

            “Sungjin. Sungjin. Sungjin. Sungjin

            “Sungjin. Sungjin. Sungjin. Sungji—”

            “Huh? What?” Sungjin finally turns back to look at him, blinking.

            Wonpil opens his mouth to speak.

            “Sungjin,” he says, “you really like her, huh.”

            At that, Sungjin blushes red while Wonpil’s chest pulses deep, deep blue.

            “Why is it Jieun you fell in love with?” Wonpil asks. “Why did you choose her?”

            For some reason, asking this question, Wonpil recalls the conversation he had with Dowoon the other day. How choosing Younghyun seemed like the stupidest choice in the world. How it didn't make sense for Wonpil at all that Dowoon chose Younghyun, of all people.

            And yet, he did. And yet, they're still together.

            Sungjin looks at him weirdly.

            “You don't get to ‘choose’ who you fall in love with, Pillie,” he says. “You just… do.”

            At that, Wonpil nods, agreeing completely. Agreeing completely and knowing how true it is. How true it is and how hurtful it is and how much of a curse it is to not be able to choose whom your heart beats for. Even when your hearts been beaten up it still beats for them. Forever. Until forever.

            “You're right,” Wonpil says. “You're right, you're right, you're right.”

            Wonpil buries his face in his hands, pressing his elbows onto his knees. He feels tears fall and trickle down his face, flowing, overflowing. Like everything he feels for him. When you love someone, everything overflows. That's just how it is. That's just how it's always been.

            Wonpil feels a hand press on the back of his neck and suddenly he’s being pressed onto Sungjin’s torso, the warmth spreading everywhere.

            “It isn't homework, is it,” he hears Sungjin say and Wonpil cries some more, not wanting to say any more.

            “Who is it, Pillie?” Sungjin asks. “Tell me, who is it?”

            Wonpil shakes his head against Sungjin’s shirt. He doesn't want to say it. He won't say it.

            “Do I know them? Did they hurt you? Did they say something bad to you? Tell me.”

_I don't want to. I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to._

            “Pillie…”

 _Please_.

            “Is it me?”

            At that, Wonpil stops shaking his head, letting his tears stain Sungjin’s shirt.

            “So, it is me,” Sungjin says and Wonpil doesn't know what to think. He doesn't want to think. He doesn't think.

            “Was it something I said? Was it something I did?”

_No. It’s something you feel._

            “Can't you tell me?”

            Wonpil says nothing. Sungjin lets out a sigh.

            “Alright, you can't tell me—I get it,” he says, patting his hair. “But you know that it hurts, right? To not be told that you hurt someone you care about? I wanna know if I've hurt you. I wanna know if the reason why you've been so down so lately is because of me. I wanna know so I can fix it. So, you can be okay again.”

            Wonpil wants to be okay again. He really does. He doesn't want to keep hurting because of Sungjin. He doesn't.

            And yet, he isn't. And yet, he does.

            Wonpil pulls away from Sungjin’s shirt, just a bit, just so he could hear his voice.

            “Could you kiss me?” he asks.

            “Kiss you?”

            “Yeah. On the lips. To make me feel better.”

            Seconds pass. And then, a minute. And then, Wonpil lets out a laugh.

            “I’m just kidding. I meant on the top of the head. Just like how you used to do when we were kids.”

            Sungjin lets out a laugh and then bends down to kiss Wonpil on the head.

            “You know, for a second there, I really _was_ gonna kiss you on the lips,” he says. “If it would make you feel better.”

            Yeah, it would. But after, Wonpil would feel even worse.

            “You know, I really miss how it was like back then,” Wonpil says offhandedly. “I wanna go back in time and stay like that forever.”

            Sungjin ruffles his hair.

            “Sucks to have to grow up, huh?” he says.

            “Yeah.” Wonpil looks up at him. “Sungjin, let's go home.”

            They leave the music shop a few minutes later, with Grandmother Nam in the middle of coming back to the front part of the shop after a customer had gone in while Sungjin and Wonpil played the song. She complained about how she couldn't hear the rest of the song since she got busy, and Sungjin promised to visit her again. Wonpil didn't.

            They reach home at three in the afternoon with Sungjin carrying the rest of the ingredients to his house and Wonpil returning to his own. That night, Wonpil didn't attend the joint family dinner because of a stomachache. Sungjin texted him at nine, telling him he knew it was a lie.

            And Wonpil stares at the text, at the six words coded in black, at the screen flashing a constant, steady white.

            He replies with a “you know how the dinners usually go. like I wanna deal with that when the presentation is tomorrow” and puts his phone on his desk, right next to his eyeglasses.

 _“You don't choose who you love.”_ And it’s true, really. Anyone who’s ever fallen in love could probably pinpoint at what moment they did, but when asked for what reason they fell, they’d probably have more than one answer. Whether or not that's a blessing or a curse, it would have to be up to you to decide.

            Wonpil falls asleep late that night, tossing and turning a couple of times before he does so.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- this was the only chapter my previous beta read other than "jieun and mina pt 1" solely for the reason that this one was titled "magic shop"  
> \- also :((((((((( why does sungpil always make me cry in this fic 
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	35. Younghyun & Yena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation between Dowoon's two-most favorite people in the world.

The first thing that pops up in Younghyun’s mind when the front door opens is, “How the heck did Dowoon get outside so quickly?” but when he sees who it really is, he immediately stands up to bow down at them.

            “Mrs Yoon,” he greets. “Good day.”

            Mrs Yoon looks pleasantly surprised to see him, sending him a smile. She holds a giant bag on her arm.

            “Younghyun! Good day to you, too,” she says, removing her shoes to replace it with some indoor slippers. “I didn’t know you had a tutoring session with Dowoon today.”

            “We were mostly just talking about other stuff,” Younghyun says, walking over to her from the living room. “Let me help you with that.”

            “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Younghyun; I’m sure you’re tired after a day at school,” she says as Younghyun reaches her.

            “You’ve been tired, too, Mrs Yoon, after a day at work,” Younghyun says. “Besides, you’re my boyfriend’s mom—I shouldn’t be treating you any less.”

            Mrs Yoon breathes out into a smile at that. “Well, if you word it that way…”

            Younghyun grins at her and receives the bag, bowing a little as he does.

            They walk inside the house. Mrs Yoon instructs Younghyun to place the bag on the counter of the dining room.

            “Where _is_ your boyfriend, Younghyun?” Mrs Yoon asks, removing a few things from her bag. “Is he up in his room?”

            “He went to the bathroom for a bit,” Younghyun answers. “He’ll probably be out in a few minutes.”

            Younghyun watches Mrs Yoon remove some folders and files from her bag.

            “Do you need any help with that, Mrs Yoon?” he asks.

            “I knew you’d ask that,” she says, laughing a little. “Thank you for the offer, Younghyun, but this is probably one of the only things I can’t let you help me with. I’ve arranged all these papers in a way that I memorized everything in order—can’t risk a helper messing that up.”

            “Oh, Dowoon’s like that, too,” Younghyun says, taking a seat on a bar stool. “He has all his files in order and with those colored tag things. I offered to help him take an assignment out for him once and he hissed at me.”

            “ _Hissed_ at you?” Mrs Yoon laughs.

            “It was before we started dating,” Younghyun explains, scratching behind his neck. “Though, he does still hiss at me, sometimes.”

            Mrs Yoon hums, smiling to herself.

            “How is Dowoon at school?” she asks.

            “He still gets perfect scores in literally every single thing—it’s still amazing how he’s so passionate about all the subjects that he advance-reads literally everything. Though, I think he likes Astronomy the most out of all of them because he's been raising his hand to answer every single question when usually he'd just sleep through i— _I mean no Dowoon doesn't sleep in class no he doesn't hahahahahaha_.

            “Anyway, uh… oh! Lately, Dowoon’s been talking to more people, not just me or Jieun or Jaehyung or Nichkhun-hyung. He’s been talking to Jooheon and Jeonghan and Jisoo… ah, and recently, I finally got to introduce him to my band members. It feels like they've known him for months, though.”

            Younghyun continues to talk about Dowoon in such detail and so elaborately that Yena can't stop the smile that appears on her face as he does. The way he speaks… the way he talks about the person he loves… it really reminds her so much of him.

            “You really love Dowoon a lot, don't you, Younghyun,” Yena says, abruptly interrupting Younghyun in the middle of saying something about his eyes.

            “Yes, I do, Mrs Yoon,” he says, nodding. “I really love him a lot.”

            Yena breathes out a smile.

            “It really is a wonder how much Dowoon’s changed while I was gone… who knew he would let in such a wonderful boy into his life?” she asks, almost to herself.

            “Pardon?” Younghyun asks, a bit confused.

            “Dowoon has never really been that fond of other people,” Yena says, putting her papers down. “Ever since he was a little boy. He'd never approach the other kids, _refused_ to talk to them, and would always cling to my legs, never letting go. He’s always been a mother’s boy, you see. My husband used to pretend to complain a lot about that.”

            Yena laughs a bit before continuing.

            “Dowoon was just so dependent on the both of us. He would always turn to us for answers to everything, never do anything without our permission, and would cry and cry and cry if we so much as scolded him for something. He’d feel so guilty about making us even the slightest bit angry that he’d put _himself_ in time out. That was just the kind of kid Dowoon was.

            “And when I left him, I didn't know that he'd change so much. I didn't realize how much people can change in two years. And Dowoon… oh, he really did change.

            “When before he was so quiet, now he laughs so widely and loudly that I hear it even when he's up in his room and I’m down in the kitchen. When before he always told me that he'd follow in my footsteps and inherit the company, now he wants to be a teacher. And when before he absolutely hated talking to his classmates, now he has both a circle of friends and a boyfriend. A boyfriend! I didn't even know it was possible for two boys to date each other until he told me he had a crush on you!”

            “He had a crush on me?” Younghyun perks up at that.

            “Younghyun, you two are dating.”

            “But still, though…”

            Yena shakes her head, a smile on her face.

            “It’s a wonder how much you've changed him, Younghyun,” she says. “You've been so good to him and as a mother, I can't thank you enough. You've done a better job more than I ever could.”

            At that, an odd smile plays on Younghyun’s face.

            “You brought him into this world,” he says. “Who could have done a better job of that than you?”

            Yena parts her lips in surprise, speechless at his words.

            “Mrs Yena, you are a wonderful human being and a great mom,” he continues. “You said that Dowoon used to hate everyone around him, right? But he loved you. And he still loves you, too. Frankly, he loved you first before me. And parents always come first before the partner, don't they?

            “Don't think that you didn't do enough for him because you already did so much. You fed him, stayed up in the night when he cried as a baby—Mrs Yoon, you carried him in your _womb_ for _nine months_! _I_ can only carry him up bridal-style for an _hour_! And that's if he doesn't yell at me to put him down.

            “With all due respect, Mrs Yoon, but as the boyfriend of your son, I have to tell you to stop discrediting yourself because of one mistake. Dowoon has already forgiven you, and the both of you have learned a lot from it. Isn't it time to apply what you've learned?”

            Yena feels a warmth in her heart at his words, not having felt it in such a long while. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recalls a memory similar to this. Recalls words similar to this. Recalls words that were his.

            If Younghyun is anything like him, then she really did make the right choice.

            “You really do have a way with words, Younghyun,” she says, wiping a tear with a finger. “I suppose even old women in their mid-fourties need to listen to the youth nowadays. Have you thought of becoming a motivational speaker?”

            “Oh, no. I want to be a singer.”

            “In a way, I suppose the two are very similar.”

            Yena returns to her work with a smile on her face, letting Younghyun’s words settle in her mind. A thought comes up her head, and she wonders if Younghyun would know the answer to that, too.

            “Younghyun, would you mind if I ask a question on something?”

            “Of course not, Mrs Yoon. What is it?”

            “If Dowoon was suddenly out of your life, what would you do?”

            It is a difficult question, she knows. But she would like to hear Younghyun’s opinion on this. Perhaps, she might be able to share it with her support group, too. And perhaps, it might even help her move on a bit easier, too.

            When Younghyun doesn't answer, Yena turns to look at him.

            … To see the boy’s cheeks stained completely with tears.

            “Oh, my word!” Yena exclaims, reaching over in her bag to get some tissues. “Younghyun, why are you crying?”

            “With all due respect Mrs Yoon,” he says between sobs, “I don't like thinking about Dowoon being out of my life in any way at all…”

            The two of them fuss over each other for a few more seconds, and Dowoon keeps standing by the wall beside them, keeping himself hidden from view.

            He had started listening to their conversation since Mother started asking about how Dowoon was at school, and he was so curious about the legendary “Younghyun always talks about you in paragraphs; it’s so annoying” that he ended up spying on their conversation.

            To hear about Mother thinking about herself like that… as her son, it hurts a little. Has he not shown enough love to her that she thinks that way? Or is that more her fault than his?

            Thinking about it, maybe thinking about it isn't the best solution to it. It would probably be better to take action. Maybe he should ask her to go clothes shopping with him this weekend. Though he doesn't really like that, Mother does. Maybe it would cheer her up.

            “—just so precious and the way he smiles is so beautiful and what would I do without it, Mrs Yoon?” Younghyun continues to bawl, blowing into a tissue.

            “I know, Younghyun, I know,” Mother consoles. “I know exactly what you mean.”

            Despite the sad topic, Dowoon finds himself feeling warm at the fact that the two of them are bonding over something, making connections, having good relations. There's no better situation than your mother liking your boyfriend while your boyfriend likes your mother, too, right?

            (Not in that way, you weirdo. Get outta here.)

            Dowoon just continues to listen in on their conversation, curious and maybe a little bit mischievous. Jieun’s influence.

            A conversation between Dowoon’s two-most favorite people on the world… what a wonder of a conversation that would be.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- this chapter was bound to happen i mean, come on  
> \- APPRECIATE YOUR MOTHERS/PARENTS/CARETAKERS/PARENT FIGURES DARNED IT!!!!!!!!!  
> \- also younghyun keeps crying and i dont know what to do about it
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	36. Jieun and Mina (pt. 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jieun laments her break-up with Mina with four boxes of creampuffs and a very concerned best friend.

“Ji, that’s your thirty-sixth creampuff,” Jaehyung deadpans, sitting across her at her desk, elbows propped up on it.

            “I don’t care—I have a fast metabolism—this is fine,” Jieun says, closing her third box. She reaches over for the fourth one, cross-legged on her bed. “Jae, I can’t reach it.”

            Jaehyung lets out a sigh and stands up, pushing the box closer to her.

            “There,” he says and Jieun’s already opening it. “Does that make your heart un-broken?”

            “No,” Jieun answers before taking a bite. “But I need something to delay my crying for a few more minutes.”

            It’s been four days since Mina and Jieun stopped talking. Jieun had sent her about a billion texts, asking her what was wrong, what she did wrong, why she suddenly ran away like that. She tried to meet her again at the waiting shed, but three days Mina’s never gone there. She’s even asked Areum if Mina went back to the café, but she hasn’t gone back, once. Not even once.

            Jieun lowers her creampuff, letting it settle in the box in her lap.

            “You ready to cry again?” Jaehyung asks, voice softening.

            “Yeah,” Jieun sniffs. “Jae, could you hold my creampuffs?” She hands him the box.

            “Don’t worry, Ji, I got your creampuffs.”

            Jieun grabs her pillow and promptly buries her face in it, the sobs bubbling out of her and tears staining the cloth of the pillow. She feels Jaehyung pat her on the head and she sobs harder.

            God, she hates it. God, she hates crying like this and feeling like she had her heart ripped out. She hates falling in love with someone and feeling her entire world float up high, high above her only for it all to come crashing down all over her. Again, and again, and _again_.

            It’s always like this. It’s always been like this for her—in love and like and crushes and more. All her life she’s fallen for so many people and every single time she let herself hope, hope that maybe, maybe this time they’d actually like her back. Maybe this time, they’d look at her. Maybe this time, she could be loved, too.

            But it’s either they like someone else, or they don’t like her, or they don’t want to like anyone, or they can only like people who aren’t her. It’s either she gets her heart broken or have it ripped out of her chest or have someone stab it with a knife and let her bleed on the floor.

            And it’s stupid, really. You’d think that after falling so many times and none of them having anyone to catch her, she’d stop letting herself love entirely. You’d think that after getting hurt so many times, she’d have stopped opening her heart to anybody.

            But Jieun’s stupid when it comes to love. She’s stupid when it comes to love because she’s in love with the butterflies flying in her stomach every time she falls, even when she’s headed for solid ground. She’s stupid when it comes to love even when she’s smart about everything else because she loves the feeling of a smile coming up her face before she even knows it’s there. And she’s stupid when it comes to love because there’s nothing else like the feeling of love, of being someone’s favorite, of having someone as your favorite, of needing no one else than them and you.

            And there was no one else like Mina because no one else had liked her the way she did.

            She was shy to start a conversation but determined to keep it going. She kept blushing every time Jieun complimented her but never without a smile on her face. She greeted her in the mornings and at noon and even at night, to the point that Jieun kept expecting one every time.

            And Jieun knew Mina liked her from the moment they met again at the café. Saw it in the way she stared at her before hiding behind her bag of groceries. It was what set Mina apart from all the other people Jieun’s liked.

            Because it was the first time Jieun fell for eyes that looked at her, and her only.

            She likes Mina because it was the first time her heart beat without fear of getting lost. It was the first time she liked someone without being afraid of them hurting her. The first time she liked someone without fearing anyone or anything.

            Mina was the first person she actually liked liking. And the first person she had hoped to fall in love with.

            Because even until now, with tears staining her pillow, Jieun isn’t hurting because she regrets falling in love with her. Unlike every other crush or like or love she’s ever had, Jieun is glad she met her, and glad she liked her, and glad that she had the chance to let her know, even for a little bit. The reason she’s hurting is because of how badly she wants her back, back beside her, hold her close and never let go, not once.

            Unlike everyone else, Jieun wants to keep chasing after her. No matter how far the road to her may be.

            Jieun lifts her face up from the pillow and sees Jaehyung looking at her, concerned.

            “You’re not going to get another creampuff, are you?” he asks.

            Jieun shakes her head.

            “No, I wanna keep some for later,” she says, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

            Jaehyung puts down his hand and crosses his legs in front of her, the both of them matching.

            “So, what’s the plan?” he asks. “You going to go to her school and barge unannounced and probably have yourself banned from that school for the sake of love?”

            “No, there is no plan.” Jieun shakes her head.

            “Oh, so you’re going to wing it?”

            “No winging, either. Nothing. I’m not going to do anything.”

            Jaehyung blinks at her. “But didn’t you say she’s the best thing that ever happened to you? Didn’t you say you’d do whatever it takes to get her back?”

            “I did. And I still want to. But she told me she didn’t want to like me, even if she did.” Jieun wipes her nose. “And I can’t force her to do anything if she doesn’t want to. She gave me her answer, just not why.”

            “Are you going to find out why?” Jaehyung asks.

            Jieun breathes out a laughter at that.

            “Only if she lets me,” she says.

            “So, what, you’re just going to wait for her to tell you? How long is that gonna be?”

            Jieun leans on her headboard and looks at Jaehyung pointedly.

            “… Oh,” he says, getting it. “So, I guess we’re in the same boat, then.”

            “We are best friends, aren’t we?” Jieun laughs, needing it.

            Jaehyung grins back at her. “Rule Number One, forever.”

            “Ayy.”

            “Ayy.”

            Jieun leans back against the headboard and finds herself wanting to laugh. Wanting to laugh and smile and make jokes.

            But with her. With her, with her, with her.

            Jaehyung looks at her once and gives her a reassuring smile. He places the box of creampuffs in front of her and Jieun smiles at him back, taking a creampuff and a bite of it. (God, these creampuffs are so good.)

            She still likes her; she still does. And for her, she’ll wait for anything.

            Anything, at all.

 

Two days later, Jieun walks in the district area, bag of groceries in her hand and mind somewhere else. The place is filled with people, as you would expect on a weekend, and their chatter dissolves into indecipherable white noise, Jieun’s thoughts singled-out.

            Even though Mina’s a special case, it doesn’t erase the fact that Jieun’s been through this period before—the denial, the anger, the bargaining, the depression, and acceptance. She’s been through it so much that she skips straight to the acceptance stage—knowing the quicker it is to accept it, the easier it is to let go.

            She still wakes up in the morning at the same time she always does, still studies at the same pace she always does, and still gets the same high scores as she always does. She and Jae still try to (unsuccessfully) kidnap Shishi-ssi, she and Dowoon still bond over the value of education, and she and Younghyun still bond over Dowoon. The days are still normal and Jieun is still okay despite everything and though it still makes her cry, at least she’s still able to.

            But although she’s been through this before and although she’s had the experience to not lose her head over it, she still can’t pinpoint where she is on the Five Stages of Grief. She isn’t denying, isn’t angry, doesn’t have anything to offer to go back to where they once were. She isn’t fully affected by it but isn’t quite that over it, either. And acceptance, she knows, is the first step to moving on, but moving on from Mina is the last thing Jieun wants to do.

            She’s in a place where she isn’t hoping but is still holding on to something, at least. A place where she’s accepted everything except the end of them. Where she’s searching for an answer, but only if it will come to her, her first step non-existent.

            Jieun sighs to herself and keeps walking, looking around her absentmindedly. Everywhere she looks, she’s reminded of Mina. She sees the bakeshop and is reminded of how Mina loves to bake. She sees the bookshop and is reminded of how she color-codes her notes to help her study. She sees the boutique and is reminded of the dress she wore on their date, the pink, pleated one and how beautiful she looked in it.

            And then, she stops, in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at a shop with a green and brown palette.

            The café. Where they met again. And where Jieun fell for her for the first time.

            She remembers the redness of her face, and the way she hid behind her hair, and the way she tried to bite her smile down when Jieun told her she was pretty. She _was_ pretty, you know. Still prettier than anyone she’s ever seen.

            She stands, staring, for a while, just looking at the café. She probably stays there for quite a bit, probably has people staring at her weirdly, too. She supposes she would, if she were them. But she isn’t, so she doesn’t.

            She’s about to move away when she feels a tap on her shoulder.

            And when she turns around to face that someone, her heart stops.

            Because now she finds herself staring back at the person whom her heart still points to even after all this time, at the person who made her feel loved for the first time in forever, at her, at her, at her.

            “Mina,” Jieun breathes, staring widely at her, almost like she’s a dream.

            And the girl looks down for a moment, finger tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear out of habit, but without the blush on her face that Jieun’s familiar with so much.

            Then, she looks up at her, and Jieun doesn’t know what to say, or if she even should say something. Mina just looks at her for a moment, as if there’s a long paragraph in her mind or as if she’s repeating the same line over and over again.

            Then, Mina turns around and starts walking away.

            And Jieun watches her go, standing in place, a million questions in her mind. What is she doing? What are they doing? What did she mean, what was meant, by that tap on her shoulder and that look on her face? Why is she here, why now, of all times and places?

            Mina takes a few more steps and Jieun is left dumbfounded, wondering, wondering why.

            And then Mina stops. And then Mina turns around. And then she looks at Jieun for a few seconds.

            And then she turns around and starts walking again, and it’s then that Jieun realizes Mina wants her to follow.

            So, she does, taking a step forward for the first time in six days.

            Perhaps, today, she’ll find out why.

            And perhaps, why is all she needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- ah, yes. finally. the Time has Come  
> \- ALSO IM SO FREAKING SORRY I ALMOST FORGOT TO POST THIS TODAY SKSHSKSHSKSJSJSJ PLS FORGIVE ME OTL
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	37. Jaehyung & Mina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation while waiting for the bus.

Mina sits on the bus waiting shed after receiving a call from her parents that the family car broke down in the middle of the highway. She looks at the time on her watch and sighs a little, a little bit tired. Ten minutes until the bus arrives. She just hopes it’ll arrive before someone else comes along, if the billions of texts sent her way is an indication.

            She sighs to herself, looking at the hands on her lap. She doesn’t know why she stares at them for a while. Sometimes, people just look at their hands for no reason. Maybe to pass the time. Maybe because there’s nothing else to do. Maybe because it’s all they can do. But Mina just stares at her hands for whatever reason, letting out another sigh with it.

            “Yo,” she hears someone say, and when she looks up, she expects long hair, a bright smile, and dimples to top it all off.

            Instead, she sees a boy with black hair, eyeglasses, and a lanky frame, carrying a backpack on one shoulder and a lopsided smile on his face. He gives her a polite wave.

            “Long time no see,” he says, and Mina furrows her eyebrows a little. This boy does seem familiar, but she can’t put her finger to it. “Been a while since I got lost again. Coincidence that it led me here, too, huh?”

            Oh, wait, this is—

            “Are you—” she starts, recalling. “Are you Jae-oppa?”

            “God, it is so weird to hear that, but yes, it is I, Park Jaehyung, at your service.”

            He does a little stage bow and Mina smiles a little, finding it a bit funny.

            “Mind if I sit?” he asks, and Mina shakes her head no. He takes a seat next to her.

            “When does the bus usually arrive at this stop?” he asks.

            “Um, around four-thirty,” Mina answers.

            “So, that’s why she left me for dead and made Jeonghan carry her bag to her house,” Jaehyung mutters to himself a little bitterly. “Didn’t even give him instructions. Poor guy.”

            At the mention of her, Mina glances away from Jaehyung, looking back down at her hands. Jaehyung leans back on the bench.

            “She’s a mess, you know,” he says, a bit off-handedly. “Not like that’s anything new, but I’ve never seen her cry this much for someone before.”

            Mina clenches her fists.

            “Did oppa come here just to make me feel bad?” she asks, trying to lower down the knife in her voice.

            “Nope,” he says casually, popping the P. “And I promise I’m not just saying that. I did actually get lost on the way to the hardware store, which for some reason is addressed to the middle of nowhere. You don’t happen to know where this is, do you?”

            At that, Jaehyung brings up a hand towards Mina and she sees an unfamiliar address written in thin, messy handwriting.

            “No,” she shakes her head, “I don’t.”

            “Figures.” Jaehyung puts his hand down and moves to stand up. “Well, it was nice seeing you aga—”

            “Wait.”

            Jaehyung stops in his tracks and Mina looks up at him, finding him staring back down with a question in his eyes.

            “Yeap?” he says, waiting.

            Mina finds her throat to be dry, unable to bring out whatever it is she wanted to say. She glances left-to-right and right-to-left, not knowing what to say. Or rather, how to say it.

            “Just so you know, I’m obligated to let Ji know any secret I keep from her as per Rule Number Four but only if she asks about it,” Jaehyung says. “And frankly, I see no reason why she’d think I met with you today.”

            Mina takes a deep breath, counts from one to ten, then opens her mouth.

            “You said that it’s nothing new for unnie to be a mess,” she says. “What did you mean by that?”

            “Well, actually, I meant that Ji’s always such a pain in the neck and frankly I am tired of having to go to the bakeshop every morning just to buy her five boxes of creampuffs a day,” Jaehyung starts, “but I also meant that every time Jieun falls in love with someone, it always ends up unrequited and with her getting hurt. It’s never been anything else but that.”

            Mina glances down at her hands before looking back up.

            “And how many people has unnie liked?” she asks.

            “Seven,” Jaehyung answers. “Including you.”

            Mina takes a while.

            “Has she really been crying so much?” she asks. “Because of me?”

            “Well, saying that makes it sound like she’s crying because you made her cry, which isn’t exactly the case.” Jaehyung shrugs. “She just misses you. A lot.”

            “Does she like me?” she asks. “Does she really, actually, truly like me?”

            Jaehyung shakes his head. “You know I can’t answer that,” he says.

            “Then, do you think she does?” Mina tries. “Do you think she does actually like me?”

            “Well, in all honesty, Ji is the most unpredictable person I know. And the most contradictory.” Jaehyung shrugs. “She’s kind but also kinda mean. Full of grace and yet lacks so much of it. Smart, but also kinda stupid. And evil, but still somehow good.

            “In all honesty, Mina, I wouldn’t put it past her to just be using you. Maybe to take advantage of you, of your kindness and naivety—maybe she does have a hidden motive behind this.

            “But I wouldn’t put it past her to just be truly in love with you, either. Because she’s just that kind of person.”

            Jaehyung shrugs.

            “But who knows? Maybe it says more about her if you’re doubting whether she likes you. Unless, of course, it says more about you. But you’d know the answer to that.”

            Mina stares at her hands, finding them white because of how she dug her nails into the dig during the entire duration of this. She releases her grip and finds pink seeping into them.

            “Could I have one last question?” Mina asks, looking back up.

            “Sure.” Jaehyung shrugs. “Ask away.”

            “Did she ever say why she even approached me in the first place? In the café, not here.”

            Jaehyung shrugs again.

            “She said the way you hid behind your groceries was cute,” he answers. “And that she thought rosy cheeks suited you a lot.”

            Jaehyung claps just once.

            “And with that, I’d best be on my way,” he prompts, already passing by her. “Wish me luck that I either don’t get kidnapped or get to the hardware store safely!” he calls behind his shoulder. “Whichever comes first!”

            Jaehyung eventually leaves, leaving Mina to stare back at her hands, circulation back to normal. It makes her think about how blood is red, but behind skin, it’s pink.

            The bus stops in front of her a few seconds later and she stands up, moving to get on before it could leave her.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	38. Jieun and Mina (pt. 4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jieun and Mina talk.

They walk for what feels like an eternity, passing by people and turning corners as if lost in a maze, but Mina knows exactly where she’s going.

            Eventually, they leave the district area to find themselves walking in streets lined with lamp posts and buildings, cars passing by them and a few bicycles riding alongside them. And eventually, gray turns to green and gray turns to brown, blue, yellow, and purple as streets turn to grass, lamp posts turn to trees, and they enter the city park, colors flying and flourishing as they always have.

            They walk uphill to a place Mina is familiar with, having gone here many times over. When they reach the top, they are met with a tall, towering tree, colored brown, yellow, and green. It had only recently started growing back the leaves it had lost in the Winter, but Mina knows just how beautiful it is in its full glory.

            Finally, Mina comes to a stop and she turns around to see Jieun staring right back at her, blinking back at her, looking at her as if she’s waiting for something. Or maybe hoping. Whatever the case, Mina sits down on one of the roots of the trees and takes a few seconds, breathing in and out.

            “I used to come here a lot,” Mina says, not looking at Jieun. “To clear my head and just… be with myself.”

            One.

            “Did you?” Jieun asks, and Mina sees her sit down on the grass, cross-legged, the same brown boots she always wore. Mina wears a different pair—white doll shoes, with hearts on the tip.

            “Yeah, unnie,” Mina replies, hands on her lap. “My parents don’t actually know that I go here sometimes. If they did, they’d fuss over me and tell me that I could get hurt trying to walk up such a steep hill. Not to mention all the bugs flying everywhere and infections I could get. They’d probably never let me go here again, not even with a companion. I don’t really want that to happen.”

            Jieun doesn’t say anything and Mina is glad she doesn’t.

            Two, three, four.

            “My first-ever crush was a girl,” Mina says, looking at Jieun. “We were in the same class together. She sat at the center of the room. And she had a lot of friends.

            “She was very pretty and always had her hair up in a ponytail. She decorated it with ribbons and clips and always showed everyone in the class. Not only that, but she was smart. And popular. And everyone liked her because of that. I liked her because of that, too.”

            Five. Six.

            “So, I asked her out on a date. I thought she’d reject me, but she said yes. We were going to meet in front of the school gate on Saturday and we were going to go have a picnic by the river.

            “It made me so happy, you know? To be liked by someone like her. To actually be liked back by my first crush and to actually go on a date with her. I couldn’t sleep at all the night before; I was too excited, too elated, too happy. It was like a dream had come true for me.”

            Colors. Everywhere. Always.

            Blue. Dripping. Always.

            Mina bites her lip and she looks down at her hands.

            Seven, eight, nine, ten.

            Seven, eight, nine, ten.

            Seven, eight, nine.

            And ten.

            “She wasn’t there when I went,” Mina says. “All there was was a note on the school gate. It read—”

            One, two, three. Four, five, six. Seven, seven, seven, seven.

            “It read, ‘As if anyone would actually go out with you,’” she whispers.

            Silence follows after and Mina breathes in and out. In. And out.

            No more tears. No more.

            “That hurt me. So much,” she says. “It hurt so much that I begged my parents to let me go to a different school. It hurt so much it hurt them, too. It’s why they’re so protective of me. It’s why they’re always fussing over me. They don’t want to see their child hurt. They don’t want to see her cry anymore.

            “She made me feel like no one could ever like me. She made me feel like I wasn’t someone worthy of that sort of thing. Like nothing about me could ever make someone like someone like me.”

            Mina finally looks up and looks at Jieun, who hasn’t stopped looking at her once.

            “But you changed that. You called me pretty and you changed everything. I didn’t think anyone could ever think of me that way, but then you came, and you did, and you changed everything.

            “It confused me so much—how a complete stranger could just walk up to someone and suddenly stop everything they were supposed to say just to call me pretty. That I could be so pretty to make you stop. How you thought I was pretty enough that you stopped.

            “I was always thinking of you. Wondering who you were and what school you went to. Wondering if there could ever be a chance to meet you again. At the very least, to ask you why. At the very least, to get to know why.

            “And then five months came, and you suddenly walk into my life again after being absent for so long. And the first thing you did was try to scare me. And the second thing you did was put your face close to me. And the third thing you did was call me pretty.

            “And you made me happy. You made me happy every time you texted me, sent me a picture, and complimented me with things even I didn’t believe in. You were so loving and you were so caring and I didn’t want to admit it but it was as if I was your favorite. And you told me I was. And I believed it. I believed it, and I believed you, and I believed that maybe, I could actually be in love with you. Truly. Really. In every way possible.”

            Seven, seven, eight.

            “But I didn’t know that you’ve liked so many people before,” she says. “I didn’t know you’d fallen so many times before and that there’s someone you might still be in love with. That there’s someone your mind still goes to even when you’re with someone else. Even if it’s just an afterthought. Even if you only half-mean it. Even if you’re over it. There’s still someone there, with you, when you’re with me.”

            She looks at Jieun and she knows she knows who she’s talking about.

            “It’s stupid. I know it is,” Mina says. “But it made me remember the hurt she gave me. It made me remember how she told me that there was no one out there who could like me. And when you came along, it made me think that maybe even if someone did like me, it wouldn’t really be me. That there had to be someone else. If someone were to like me.”

            Mina looks down for a last time.

            Nine, and ten.

            “It just made me wonder if you really liked me,” she says, “or if you liked me because he could’ve liked you like this, too.”

            Wind rustles the leaves of the tree above her. Today, there are kids running around by the base of the hill. A group of parents sits on a blanket on the grass, watching their children run, laughing.

            “Jeon Youngwoon,” Jieun starts, “was my next-door neighbor. He used to give our family meals his parents made for us as gifts and he always made me laugh by copying the cartoons on the TV.”

            Mina looks up at her, but Jieun’s already speaking.

            “Lee Naeun was my classmate from grade two to grade four and we were always seated next to each other. She let me borrow her eraser which was shaped like a bunny and I lost it two days later.

            “Ko Hyunseob was a transferee in grade five and when he found out I was from Ilsan, he kept asking me to teach him any word I could think of. He forgot all of them, but he still tried to speak to me even though everything was wrong.

            “Park Gunhee was the first person I met when I went on my own for the first time. I got lost on the way to the city library, but she brought me there and gave me her number, so I could contact her if I ever needed help getting around.

            “Baek Ayeon was my co-worker during my second part-time job. She kept telling me how hardworking I was and how well of a job I did. She also told me that she’d miss me when she moved to a different country.

            “Kang Younghyun—”

            Mina sucks in a breath.

            “—was the boy who bumped into me when I was walking in the hallway,” Jieun continues. “He looked mean and I thought he was rude, but when I saw him smiling to himself in the band room, I thought maybe I was wrong.”

            Mina stares at her hands, colored pink.

            “I loved all of them,” Jieun says. “All of them I loved, and liked, and had a crush on. And when I loved them, I loved them with everything I had. And when I loved them, I loved everything they were, flaws and quirks and all.

            “I don’t just love anyone. And I don’t just call it ‘love’ for the sake of it. Every single person I’ve ever loved, I remember everything that made me love them. Hyunseob’s laughter, Ayeon’s voice when she sang, Younghyun’s love for his parents. I never forget anything. Even when thinking about them used to make me cry. Even when sometimes I regret falling for them in the first place.

            “When you love someone like that, you don’t just move on so easily. You cry, you hurt, and sometimes you wish you could go back to where you once were. And moving on is hard. So hard when you’ve loved someone so much. Sometimes, you wish you could never move on. That the idea of letting go of them hurts you more than them leaving you.

            “Which is why I never love someone else until I’ve completely gone over the other. I never start again until I know I ended everything well. Until I know I could smile at them and not feel one ounce of regret. Until I could give them a love hand-made for them, and them only. No one else in the picture.

            “And I loved Younghyun. I really did. But the one thing I’m most grateful to him for is the fact that he didn’t let me love him for more than two weeks. Because when he entered the classroom that day, I knew he’d already fallen in love with someone else.”

            Jieun takes a breath.

            “And I know how hard it is to believe that I don’t have any more feelings for him, and in all honesty, Mina, I can’t call what I have for you ‘love’ just yet.

            “But I am telling you that I really do like you. And I really do like being with you. And maybe I rushed things, maybe I shouldn’t have asked you out on a date until you got to know me better, maybe I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you, and maybe I just wanted to fall in love you already, but it had been too soon.

            “And I’m sorry. I really am. I’m the older one, I’m the one with more experience, I should’ve known better. I should’ve been more careful, I should’ve been more considerate of you, I shouldn’t have been so forward when you didn’t need me to be.

            “But I promise you, with everything I had, that I do—really, really do—like you. And I want to fall in love with you. And I want to shower you with every single ounce of love I could ever have.

            “Because Kim Mina is a girl who’s shy and timid and gets embarrassed and flustered all too easily. She’s a girl who tucks her hair behind her ear because it’s too straight for its own good and she’s a girl whose cheeks are always red no matter what occasion. She’s a girl who loves to bake, who still keeps stuffed toys on her bed, and who color-codes her notes because it helps her study.

            “She’s the girl I noticed staring at me in the café, the girl who couldn’t stop stuttering when she spoke to me, the girl who stared at my lips when I put my face close to hers, so she would calm down. She’s the girl who sent the first text, the girl who greeted me every day, and the girl who said yes when I asked her if she wanted to go on a date.

            “She’s the first person who’s ever liked me back, even when she ended up not wanting to, and she’s the first person I ever made cry and never wanted to. She’s the first person I don’t regret falling for and she’s the girl whom I fall for every day.

            “And I know words aren’t enough to convince you, but right now, it’s all that I have. And I want you to know that I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you. And I won’t hurt you like she hurt you.”

            Jieun lets out a breath and it’s shaky.

            “She isn’t me.”

            Seconds pass, and then minutes, filling up the space in the air. The world around them is rotating on its axis, and yet not one person feels it.

            And then Jieun moves and it all falls into slow-motion. She comes closer and Mina looks up at her, sees her leaning in, and knows. She knows.

            She leans in and presses a kiss on her forehead, not planning any more than that.

            Jieun pulls away and Mina pulls her down, kissing her full-front on the lips.

            And the feeling of it sends paint dripping down her face, watercolor seeping into her heart, and ink bleeding onto the canvas around her, staining it with so many colors that Mina can’t keep count, colors that even the human eye can’t see.

            Pink. Orange. Warm. Pastel.

            Yellow. Blue. Bright. Innocent.

            Violet. Green. Memory. Peace.

            Red. Love, love, love.

            And Mina pulls away and looks back at the girl in front of her, and she sees every color in her brown eyes. When a heart turns frail, it loses its color and perhaps all hope could be lost and thrown away.

            But as long as it still beats and as long as she still breathes, there’s still a chance to find pink in gray.

            Mina wraps her arms around Jieun’s torso, burying her face in her chest and staining her white shirt in blue paint.

            “Will you really?” she asks, voice muffled. “Will you really not hurt me?”

            She feels a hand pat her on the head and an arm wrap around her waist.

            “Never,” Jieun says. “I promise.”

            Jieun places a kiss on her head, staining the pink with red, and Mina thinks that there are so many colors out there that blend really well.

            Maybe being a painter isn’t all that bad after all.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- "what if the only reason you liked me was because he couldve liked you like this, too" is the sentence that fully encompasses the reason why mina left jieun that day; it still sends so much Hurt in my Heart like Y  
> \- as a clarification, just in case people are still confused by minas reasoning, when jieun told her back at the movies the reason why she liked her was because she was so glad to be liked by someone like her, mina interpreted it as "im so glad im finally liked by someone", relating it to what she thought was jieuns regret of not having her feelings returned by that oppa. because of what happened in the past, mina has a really deep set insecurity that sort of makes her twist things to be against her, because she tends to believe that the positive cant be true to her. i dont wanna spoil much, but just know that shes been working on dealing with that for a long time, but sometimes it just comes back to bite her.   
> \- know that i am aware that mina should not have placed her insecurities on jieun and hurt her like that, especially that she didnt even explain why, but also know that she didnt do it to hurt her; just so she herself wouldnt get hurt. and when youve been hurt before, sometimes you end up doing reckless, stupid, and hurtful decisions. but jieun was right when she said that she was the older one, that she shouldnt have been so quick into it, because she shouldve gotten to know mina a bit more. if she had known that mina had that type of insecurity, she wouldnt have carelessly mentioned younghyun over and over again during their date.   
> \- both of them made mistakes and both of them caused the other to hurt, and both didnt intend to. but the good thing about starting over is you learn to not make the same mistakes ever again, and right now, jieun and mina are having their new beginning, now moving slowly to know each other better than before.  
> \- if you got all that without reading all that, thank god lmao i really feel like i didnt explain it well enough by just the narration alone. perhaps i can edit it in the future to make it clearer!
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	39. Younghyun & Jieun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jieun pulled Younghyun away from the convenience store many, many nights ago.

A twig on the ground cracks into crumbly pieces as Jieun’s foot stomps on it, continuing her way through the night with a fire that cannot be diminished, blood boiling.

            She hardly takes notice of the boy tripping almost every step of the way behind her, unable to do nothing about the hand gripping his.

            “W-wait, wh-what are we doing?” he asks. “Why are you pulling me? Did I just quit my job?”

            At that, Jieun lets go of his wrist and promptly turns back to look at him, sending a glare his way. He stumbles back a bit, taken aback by how they suddenly stopped walking, and stares at her with wide eyes. They’re at a children’s park.

            Jieun crosses her arms.

            “Butthole,” she says.

            “Wh-what?” Younghyun asks, looking extremely confused right now.

            “Butt. Hole,” she says, enunciating every syllable.

            “Butt… hole?” he repeats, looking unsure.

            “A butthole,” Jieun says, “is what that guy is.”

            Jieun lets out a frustrated sound, putting her hands up and stomping on the grass around her, seething.

            “God, that guy is such a jerk!” Jieun yells. “Who does he think he is? Just because he manages some stupid convenience store suddenly he’s the president of Korea? A butthole is what he is. A _major_ butthole. A _super_ butthole. Mr. Butthole, at your Mcfreaking service!”

            Jieun kick a twig on the ground.

            “And, ugh, you weren’t even doing anything! There wasn’t even a single thing in your pocket! As if there was anything much to get to begin with—full offense, Mr. Butthole, and frankly, your hairdo is as outdated as your cheap attitude! Yeah, that’s right—I went there!”

            “U-uh…” Younghyun starts. “Why don’t we sit on the swing over there? I’m starting to pity the grass.”

            Jieun stomps her way over to the swing and promptly flops down on the seat, grabbing onto the chains so tight it seems like they might break away at any point in the near future.

            “It’s like he thinks he’s above everyone else or something!” Jieun continues on her tirade as Younghyun takes a seat next to her. “‘Oh, look at me! I’m the manager of this convenience store! I’m so high and mighty and I think someone stole from me just because I didn’t earn enough today!’ Like anyone would! Excuse me, but there are tons of places who are worthier of getting robbed, thank you very much!”

            Younghyun furrows his eyebrows at that, looking like he wants to something, but Jieun just keeps talking.

            “God, what kind of—what kind of person even thinks like that? And god, he was so mean about it, too! You didn’t even do anything, and he just kept flapping his mouth at you like it’s his talent! Blah-ba-blah-ba-blah—god, he must be a nightmare to live with. God, his wife deserves so much better than him—if he even has one, but I doubt it. I don’t think anyone can put up with that. And frankly, if anyone were to marry him, it’d probably be because he has something on them—because I’m pretty sure it’s not the looks!

            “It’s 2018! Who even has those hairdos nowadays? Even my grandfather wears his shirt with the front tucked in and the back untucked. How long has it been since that guy looked in the mirror? Like, hellooo? That shirt with those pants? Does he even know the internet? What kind of manager does he think he is when he can’t even keep up with the trends that his own customers are already following!”

            Suddenly, a burst of laughter sounds next to Jieun and she abruptly stops in her rant, turning to the boy next to her, who’s in the middle of a grin spreading wide across his face.

            “You’re not even talking about the money anymore,” he says, laughing. “You’re just dissing his fashion sense.”

            Younghyun laughs a bit more and Jieun finds herself staring at him, remembering that day in the band room. When she passed by and saw him smiling as he sang a song she couldn’t hear. She had thought he was a butthole, having bumped into her days earlier.

            But for some reason, when he smiled like that, she thought, _You can’t smile like that and still be completely bad._

            Now, seeing him laugh like this, Jieun finds a smile crawling up her face, too, heart falling for another time.

            “Or lack of it, maybe,” Jieun says, laughing as well. “Can you imagine him in overalls?”

            At that, Younghyun doubles over laughing.

            “He… he… he wore overalls during Children’s Day…” Younghyun wheezes, holding onto his stomach. “He was full denim and everything…”

            Younghyun laughs and laughs and laughs, and Jieun likes him more and more and more. Likes his smile. Likes the way he’s almost doubled down and laughing. Likes how she smiles without knowing. Like how it’s because of him.

            It’s the same old story, over and over again. Fall in love, hurt in love, fall out of it.

            Still, just the feeling of it itself makes her happy. Just the feeling of having someone you like seeing, having someone you like seeing laugh—just that alone makes falling so worth it, falling so fun, falling so happy, happy, happy.

            And Jieun likes being happy. She likes it a lot.

 

Jieun can see the sun in the distance starting to dip down the horizon, sky a perfect blend of orange, yellow, and red. The sky is colored nothing like the sky back then—before it had been all blues, and blacks, and violets, dots of white in the sky. When Jieun realized that she really did love Younghyun, it had been nighttime, only a few hours left before midnight.

            Jieun turns away from the bus window to look at the girl resting her head on her shoulder, eyes closed and shoulders moving up and down in a steady pace. She has both her arms wrapped around Jieun’s left arm, body facing and pressing against her as if Jieun was a vertically-placed bed.

            And seeing her like this alone sends a wide smile to Jieun’s face, makes her heart constrict in a way that it reminds her of how happy this girl makes her. How happy and elated and how much she likes her, and she likes her so much. Having her beside her, sleeping next to her, trusting her enough to not do any harm onto her, makes Jieun grateful, so grateful, that she likes her back, that _she_ likes her back, that of all the people in the world, it had been Mina who ended up liking her back.

            Jieun leans in and places a kiss on Mina’s forehead and the girl leans further into her space, pressing her cheek against her shoulder, and keeps dreaming.

            She knows she’s still on her way to calling this love, but what’s important is that she is on her way, and that there’s no other direction she’d rather face.

            Jieun rests her head against Mina’s and stays awake for the rest of the journey, making sure to check whether they’ve already reached their stop.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- this was why they were at the swing in the mv that night im still bitter at how the mv makers dumped in a random briwoon just for it to not be there for the third mv >:( and made it seem like younghyun liked jieun when it was Clear that he had full-on heart eyes for one boy and one boy only >:( everyone can fite me on this  
> \- also lmao i think i ranted about this on twitter but i cant find the tweet lmao  
> \- also let it be known that i will have an answer for every single aspect in the mvs except for dowoon's popularity because that was established in "feels like i know you"
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for doing an awesome job at beta reading this chapter and pointing out all the needed adjustments!! Honestly, thank you so much ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	40. Movie night at Jieun's house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate her own girlfriend, Jieun invites her and the rest to Jaehyung and Jieun's monthly movie night.

“God, _what_ is taking her so long?” Jaehyung asks no one in particular, already done with arranging the couches to make room for a new one on the left. He was literally tasked to “make it the fluffiest as you are physically and emotionally able or I will _ssskinnn_ you.” “Is it _that_ hard to pick someone up from the waiting shed?”

            “Oh, come on, Jaehyung—you know how couples are; they’re probably busy being lovey-dovey,” Areum says, coming over from the kitchen. She places bowls of popcorn right next to the other soft foods, including the cookies they made Younghyun bake again because they Really Were That Good. “Didn't you say they finally got together three days ago? They're probably in the honeymoon phase of dating.”

            “Honeymoon phase?” Younghyun asks from where he sits cross-legged in front of the TV. He’d already finished setting it up ten minutes ago. “What’s that?”

            “Oh, you know—being clingy with each other, always being by each other’s side, never wanting to be away from each other no matter what…” Areum keeps looking up in thought. “Not to mention lots and _lots_ of PDA. You wouldn't know a couple like that, would you?”

            Younghyun stares up at Areum from where he and Dowoon (his boyfriend) are currently seated next to each other on the floor with their sides pressed against each other, Younghyun with an arm draped around Dowoon’s shoulder and Dowoon absentmindedly poking at the moles lining Younghyun’s neck and collarbone.

            Younghyun shakes his head no, jutting his bottom lip out as if he has no clue. Knowing Younghyun, he probably doesn't.

            The reason why Jieun left (and has been gone for _fourty_ minutes, cheese and flaky crust) is because she went to fetch a certain someone who would be the new addition to their tiny little friend group. She had literally threatened to murder them (well, mostly Jaehyung and Younghyun) if they didn’t give their newcomer “the best welcome you could ever physically, mentally, emotionally, _and_ spiritually muster”. She also left them walking backwards and doing the “I got my eyes on you” gesture with her first two fingers, so they all figured she probably meant that.

            “What would they even be doing out there?” Jaehyung asks, rolling his eyes. “What do couples even do?”

            “Well…” Areum turns to Younghyun, who is now currently playing with Dowoon’s hair. “Younghyun-ssi, what do _you_ usually do when you pick up Dowoon-ssi from his home?” she asks in a very formal tone.

            “Huh? Oh, uh…” Younghyun scratches his neck. “Well, the first thing I do when he walks out the gate is greet him a good morning. And I’d hold his hand without even realizing it. And Dowoon more often than not pulls me down for a kiss before we walk to school.”

            “In my defense,” Dowoon says, ears starting to turn pink, “your lips are really pretty. Like they're telling me to kiss them or something.”

            “Oh. Really?” Younghyun consciously touches his lips.

            “… Oh look they're doing it again and telling me to kiss them looks like I have no choice but to do so come the duck here you stupid handsome idiot,” Dowoon says monotonously and Jaehyung looks away, not needing this on a Sunday night.

            “See? Couple’s PDA is a powerful thing,” Areum says. “Plus, it’s Jieun. She always struck me as the type to really dote on the people she loves. I wouldn't be surprised if she made her and Mina walk extra slow just so they could have more time together.”

            “Oh, Younghyun does that a lot,” Dowoon says and Jaehyung turns to see the both of them with pink cheeks; he is so glad he didn't see why that is.

            “Which further proves my point.” Areum gestures to them with an open palm and Jaehyung buries his face in his hands, feeling himself age two more years. (Hey, look, he can ask Areum out now.)

            “I wonder what kind of person Mina is, though,” Younghyun says off-handedly, changing the subject and looking genuinely curious. “The only thing we've heard about her is that ‘she's the most beautiful person in the world and when you see her, you're going to wish you were dating her.’”

            “Can't relate,” Dowoon says, now playing with Younghyun’s ears.

            “Well, I've only met her once, so I can't really say,” Areum says, sitting down on the couch next to Jaehyung, “but she seemed very sweet at least. And Jieun was _so_ fond of her. She was smiling so happily, and it was really heartwarming to see.”

            “Yeah,” Jaehyung breathes out a laugh. “It _is_ nice, isn't it? I’m just glad she’s no longer pining over someone who will never like her back and crying because of them every other day.”

            The three of them turn to Younghyun at that.

            “Pardon?” he asks, not getting it.

            Dowoon whispers in his ear.

            “ _Hey, wait, that wasn't my fault_!” Younghyun protests, trying to defend himself. “I’m literally _gay_ —come _on_ , guys.”

            “I’m still at how you made my baby cry,” Dowoon says, shaking his head in disappointment.

            “I didn't mean t— _did you just call Jieun your baby_?”

            At that moment, as if to save Younghyun from further devastation, the door to the living room opens and in comes an announcement from a familiar-sounding voice:

            “All rise for the prettiest girl in the entire world!”

            The four of them turn and inadvertently stand up to see Jieun walking in with a wide smile on her face, a new bag on her shoulders, and two hands placed on either shoulder of perhaps the shyest-looking, reddest-looking, and shortest-among-their-group-of-friends-looking girl in the entire world.

            She looks timid, nervously glancing at everyone in the room. Her hair is short, just above her shoulders, and she's dressed like a doll, with a pink frilly skirt and pink blouse with a white collar; a silver bracelet hangs itself on her left wrist, while a watch hugs her right.

            When she speaks, her voice kinda sounds like this.

            “U-unnie, th-that’s a bit…” the girl says to Jieun, voice small.

            “Aw, come on—won’t you let me call you pretty?” Jieun mock-pouts, pretending to look hurt. “I’m sad now. Will you kiss the sadness away?”

            The girl splutters embarrassed at that and Jaehyung runs a hand down his face, looking tired.

            “Ji, you know it's probably best to flirt with someone _after_ you've introduced them to us?” he says, crossing his arms.

            Jieun makes a sound like she's mildly annoyed, but she removes her hands from the girl’s shoulders anyway.

            “Well, you heard what the killjoy oppa said,” Jieun says, ignoring Jaehyung’s offended hand on his chest as Areum giggles next to him. “Take it away.”

            The girl giggles a little bit at that and Jaehyung finds himself smiling a little. Looks like she just needed a little push to make her more comfortable with a group of strangers.

            The girl straightens her back.

            “My name is Kim Mina, sixteen years old—nice to meet you all!” she greets, bowing down.

            Jieun watches her with a loving smile on her face as she stands up straight again, face redder than before.

            “See?” Jieun says, turning to the rest of them and giggling. “Isn't she the cutest?” She turns to Mina with a “You’re doing great, sweetie.”

            Mina splutters at the word “sweetie” and Jaehyung sees fond smiles spread across the others’ faces; looks like they approve of their new friend.

            Suddenly, a loud, shrill noise sounding a lot like a dying mouse comes from the kitchen and they all jump, only Jaehyung and Jieun looking unfazed.

            “Ah,” he says, “that would be the iced tea.”

            “How is _that_ the iced tea?” Younghyun asks, unbelieving.

            Jaehyung and Jieun turn to him, deadpan.

            “Do you really wanna know?” she asks.

            Younghyun flashbacks to Mrs. Choi and the snack he thought was squid and says, “No, I’m good.”

            “I’ll get it—I’m the one with the stronger arms,” Jieun says, already pulling up her sleeves and raising so many questions. She turns to Mina. “Go ahead and make yourself at home, Mina-yah. If you need anything, ask Jae—he’s your personal servant now.”

            She keeps looking at Mina for a while, as if about to do something, before patting her on the head and leaving to the kitchen, cracking her knuckles as if to prepare for a battle.

            “Well!” Areum prompts with a single clap. “I suppose that means we’ll have to introduce ourselves now. My name is Go Areum, twenty years old. But we’ve already met before.”

            “Nice to meet you again, unnie,” Mina says with a small smile and wave.

            “Howdy, my name’s Jae, full name Park Jaehyung, eighteen years old, and apparently your personal servant,” Jaehyung introduces. “And it’s nice to meet you, person I have _not_ , in fact, met again before.”

            Jaehyung gives her a knowing wink and Mina nods, giving him a polite wave, too. “Nice to meet you, oppa.”

            “That is still so weird to hear.”

            “My name is Yoon Dowoon, eighteen years old. Nice to meet you,” Dowoon introduces, plain and simple. Younghyun claps for him enthusiastically.

            “I guess that means it’s my turn now,” he says with a grin. “Kang Younghyun, eighteen years old. Nice to meet you, Mina.”

            “‘Younghyun’?” Mina repeats, blinking in surprise. “You're ‘Younghyun’, oppa?”

            Younghyun blinks at her, a bit confused.

            “Uh, yeah,” he says. “Did I mispronounce my name or something?”

            For a while, Mina just stares at him as if in awe or amazement, and Younghyun tilts his head at her in confusion, wondering why she's looking at her like that.

            Then, Mina takes in a deep, deep breath and suddenly bows down at Younghyun, making him yelp.

            “NICE TO MEET YOU, YOUNGHYUN-OPPA!” she yells out before coming right back up, a sudden blush spreading across her face.

            “U-uh…” Younghyun says, a bit taken aback. “S-sure? Nice to meet you, t—”

            Suddenly, someone slips an arm under his and Younghyun looks to his left to see Dowoon next to him, pressing onto his side with a faux unbothered expression on his face.

            Younghyun stares at him. Mina stares at him. Areum and Jaehyung eat a bit of the popcorn at the side, thoroughly invested.

            “… What,” Dowoon says, looking up at Younghyun, face blank. “What is it,” he repeats.

            “Jaehyung, Mina only likes girls, right?” Areum whispers to him, popping a popcorn in her mouth.

            “Yeap,” Jaehyung says, popping the P and a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

            “Does Dowoon know?” she asks.

            “Nope,” Jaehyung answers, popping the P yet again.

            “Ah, are Dowoon-oppa and Younghyun-oppa dating?” Mina asks, looking between the two.

            “Oh, yeah,” Younghyun says. “How’d you kn—”

            “We've been dating for six months,” Dowoon cuts in.

            “… Y-yeah, we hav—”

            “He told me he liked me and I kissed him on the swing and now we've been dating for six months.”

            “Th-that, too—”

            Dowoon squints at Mina.

            “You're not a boy,” he says. “I am.”

            Younghyun just looks between the two as if he has a thousand question marks blaring in his mind and Areum has to put the bowl of popcorn down lest she and Jaehyung actually finish the whole thing. She reaches over for the M&Ms.

            “We have a solid relationship,” Dowoon continues, still with a squinted gaze.

            At that, Mina puffs her cheeks up, a little indignant. _Is this oppa trying to compete with me over who has a better relationship with their partner?_

            “Y-you're not the only one with a solid relationship!” she says. “W-we're p-pretty close, too!”

            Dowoon looks up at Younghyun, then, questioning what she meant by that with just a look alone, and Younghyun shakes his head rapidly, denying all accusations.

            “W-we hold hands a lot!” Mina continues, blushing at remembering how Jieun always intertwines their fingers together. “A-and I was the one who made the first move!”

            Dowoon whips his head at Younghyun again at that, eyes wide in accusation, and he continues to shake his head rapidly, not wanting to be associated with any of this, not even knowing why any of this is happening.

            “Well, I was the one who made the first move, too,” Dowoon counters, turning to Mina. “We went on our first date already.”

            “We did, too! A-a-and we went home together, too!”

            “We text and call each other every day, _every_ morning and _every_ night.”

            “U-us, too! I get hearts all the time! And pictures! And kiss emojis!”

            Dowoon’s eyebrow twitches.

            “Well, do you kiss him every time you meet up?”

            “W-well, we’ve only ever actually kissed once…”

            “Have you (failed at) baking him cookies for his birthday?”

            “I-I was planning to…”

            “Have you met his parents? Do you help him with his studies every day? Have you told him you loved him yet?”

            “Th-that’s—”

            Dowoon glares at her.

            “I don't know how you two met or whatever it is you've done, but I love Younghyun with all my heart and he loves me, too. I would run to the moon and back to give him the stars—would you do that?”

            “D-Dowoon—” Younghyun starts— “I’m not sure this is—”

            “I’m in love with him. In. Love. With. Him. So, don't you dare try to get with him because I am not letting him out of my sight, or out of my arms, and frankly, if there is _anyone_ in this room who's ever gonna do it with him first, it’s _me_.”

            Silence fills the room.

            “… What?” Mina asks, only now questioning what it is they've been talking about.

            “What?” Younghyun asks, confused at what his boyfriend meant with that last statement.

            “What?” Dowoon says, mostly because a blush is slowly starting to come over his ears.

            “What?” Jaehyung asks, mostly just so he could join in on the fun. Areum just keeps a smile on her face.

            “Hello, everyone! So, I just got back from fighting with a lobster and—what is happening.”

            Everyone turns to look at Jieun, who looks wet from top to bottom, as if she just swam in a river.

            “What did I miss,” she says, looking at all of them in confusion.

            “Oh, Ji,” Jaehyung says, popping an M&M in his mouth, “you missed a _lot_.”

 

The six of them sit comfortably on the couches of the living room, all the snacks situated neatly on the table and the TV set up, Jieun holding the remote. She and Mina sit on the left side, with Jaehyung and Areum in the center.

            Meanwhile, Younghyun and Dowoon sit on the right, the former with an arm draped over his boyfriend’s shoulders and the latter with his head buried in his hands, mortified beyond belief.

            “Why didn't anyone tell me Mina was a _lesbian_ ,” Dowoon says, voice muffled. “Why didn't anyone tell me she and Jieun were _dating_.”

            “I thought it was kinda obvious,” Jieun says, browsing some movie selections on the TV. “Both the dating part and the lesbian part. Also, I’m pretty sure I told you this, like, seven times. Per day.”

            “I-I guess it was also partly my fault, Dowoon-oppa…” Mina timidly says on the other side of the room, raising her hand a little. “I misinterpreted your words. I thought you were trying to compete about who had the more solid relationship…”

            “Like that's any better,” Dowoon says, voice still muffled. “Ugh, I don't know why it ended up like that.”

            “I already told you this before, Dowoon—when you're around Younghyun, you have only a total of one brain cell,” Jaehyung says, scrolling down his phone. “And unfortunately, that brain cell is incredibly whipped for him.”

            “But, my, my—I didn't realize how strong Dowoon’s feelings for Younghyun were,” Areum giggles a bit. “I wonder how long he's been having thoughts like that about him. You are almost out of high school, after all.”

            Dowoon buries his face in his knees now, groaning out loud.

            “This is it,” he says. “This is the worst day of my life.”

            Younghyun pats him on the head, comfortingly.

            “It’s not that bad,” he tries to reassure him.

            “I embarrassed myself and made a bad impression on someone younger than me—how worse can it get? (And don't say something like, ‘At least, you're here with me,’ because I will smack you. Even if it’s true.)”

            Younghyun kisses him on the top of the head.

            “Want me to kiss you until you stop being embarrassed over this?” he offers.

            “Yes, please.”

            Younghyun places another kiss on Dowoon’s head, and Areum turns to the others, a smile on her face.

            “So,” she prompts, “which movie will we be watching?”

            Similar to JiJae’s Monthly Game Night, tonight is JiJae’s Monthly _Movie_ Night, in which the two do a movie marathon based on a certain theme. Last month was “Movies That Are Really Cringey Now That I’m Watching Them Ten Years Later.” It was an experience.

            “Well, unnie,” Jieun says, “usually we decide what kind of theme to go for this month by way of the Tarot Cards of Fortune Telling that me and Jae made around two years ago.”

            “By that, she means the cards she made _me_ make two years ago,” Jaehyung says, already pulling out a deck of cards from out of nowhere.

            “Ooh, so what do the cards say we’ll be watching tonight, then, oppa?” Mina asks, leaning forward and looking curious.

            “Well, we already did Comedy back in June…” He checks a card with a laughing emoji on it “And Romance was finished in November…” He drops a card with a heart on it. “And we've already watched all the Studio Ghibli films…”

            “But Studio Ghibli isn't a genre,” Younghyun says, placing a kiss on Dowoon’s head.

            “How dare you,” Dowoon says, receiving another kiss.

            “And we've already done horror,” Jaehyung continues, pulling out another card. Areum squints at it.

            “But that’s a picture of you,” she says. “From… middle school?”

            “Yeah,” Jaehyung says, shivering and putting the card face-down on the table. “A _-ha_!”

            Jaehyung pulls out a card from under the couch and puts it up for everyone to see: it’s transparent, like it’s made of plastic.

            “Ji, looks like we’re gonna have a fun set of movies!” he says, grinning. “Tonight, we’re gonna watch everyone’s favorite movies!”

            They all “ooh” and “ah” at that, clapping at that. Even Dowoon brings his hands up to clap, though his head is still buried in his knees.

            “Me first, then! Me first!” Jieun says excitedly, before turning to her girlfriend. “How are you with scary movies, Mina-yah? Do you easily get scared?”

            “When I was a kid, yeah, unnie,” Mina answers, honest. “But as I grew older, I don't really get scared that much. Except maybe with jump scares, because those get really surprising sometimes.”

            “Oh,” Jieun says. “I see.”

            Mina looks up at Jieun, feeling like she lost something.

            “… Unnie?” she asks. “Is something the matter?”

            “She's just disappointed you're not a scaredy-cat, Mina,” Jaehyung points out, leaning back to face her. “She probably wants to cuddle you while you're scared like all the cliché couples and stuff.”

            “I dooo,” Jieun whines, rubbing her cheek against Mina’s shoulder.

            Mina turns red at that.

            “W-well, th-then maybe I could pretend to be scared, then!” she suggests. “Like, maybe in a scary scene, I could go, ‘Aaah, so scary!’ Uh… ‘Wahhh, so very scary!’”

            Mina waves her hands a little, as if re-enacting just how she would pretend to be scared, and Jieun just breathes out a laughter, feeling warm inside.

            “Nah, I’m okay,” she says, wrapping her arms around Mina’s torso and placing her chin on her shoulder. “Mina being herself is the perfect Mina.”

            Mina blushes again at that, but doesn't say much about it, not hiding the small smile on her face. The other four watch them.

            “I never knew Jieun could be…” Younghyun starts, “… _tamed_. Like that.” He’s still giving Dowoon a kiss every few seconds.

            “Just a while ago she had a fight with a lobster while making iced tea,” Jaehyung says. “And just yesterday she kicked me in the face on the basis that she was physically capable of doing so.”

            “So, then that means Mina brings out a different side to Jieun?” Areum asks.

            The four of them watch Mina and Jieun be all cuddly at the side, the latter looking like she could die satisfied at this moment and the former looking like she's already dying, embarrassed but happy at the same time.

            “That is a positive way to interpret it, noona,” Younghyun says, placing another kiss on Dowoon’s head.

            “Well, I suppose we should put it into practice, then,” Jaehyung says, before clapping once. “Let the Movie Night commence!”

 

The first movie of the night is Train to Busan, Jieun’s favorite. She said that the first time she watched this, she immediately went back into the theater to watch it over and over again because it was really just That Good.

            “The story is just so compelling, and I love everything about it,” Jieun gushes. “Also, I love seeing zombies get smashed into bloody smithereens.”

            “She had a blood phase in middle school,” Jaehyung says.

            “Whoever said it was a phase?” Jieun says, simply. “Besides, all the men die in this movie. That is probably the best part of it.”

            “ _Spoiler_ ,” Younghyun protests, putting two hands over Dowoon’s ears, who had at that point finally gotten over his embarrassment.

            By the end of the movie, Mina was a bundle of blankets Jieun brought over twenty minutes into the film, Jieun was a happy girlfriend cuddling her own, Jaehyung was a horrified young boy, Areum was a smile-y and calm young woman, and Younghyun and Dowoon were judging boyfriends.

            “What kind of disease would even turn people into zombies?” Dowoon says with a hand out. “What did they even have in that factory that blew up? Who even let them administer something like that?”

            “The zombies didn't look scary.” Younghyun pouts, maybe a little disappointed. “Shouldn't zombies look scary?”

            “Oh, come on, you two—it’s a zombie thriller movie,” Jieun berates them. “You're supposed to be all, ‘Ahhh, I’m scared! Please hold me!’ and be all mushy-mushy and stuff.”

            “But I wasn't scared,” Younghyun says.

            “And this movie is giving me too many questions I need to answer—Younghyun hand me a pen and paper,” Dowoon says.

            “Aight.”

            Jieun rolls her eyes at them. Meanwhile, Jaehyung is a scared mess, looking behind him as if something is gonna pop out.

            Jieun reaches over and taps Jaehyung’s far shoulder.

            Jaehyung lets out the loudest, high-pitched shriek.

            “AAH, THERE’S A ZOMBIE IN THE HOUSE! THERE’S A ZOMBIE!”

            Jieun just cackles to herself. That gets her every time.

            “Ugh, I have no idea how you can handle this, noona,” Jaehyung says to Areum, shuddering. The young woman had watched the movie with a calm smile on her face the whole time, unmoving. “It’s not even a horror film. The movie didn't even happen during the night.”

            Areum doesn't look at him, keeping that smile on her face.

            “Noona?” Jaehyung waves a hand in front of Areum’s face.

            Areum stays frozen solid, smile permanent on her face. Jaehyung blinks at her, wondering what's wrong.

            Then, Jaehyung looks down at sees Areum’s knuckles shaking—her entire body is shaking, actually.

            “Holy frosted donuts—noona, are you okay?” Jaehyung asks in concern.

            Areum finally turns to him, robot-like, as if she has rusty gears inside of her.

            “O-o-o-o-of c-c-c-course, I-I-I a-a-a-am,” she says with a shaky voice. “Wh-wh-wh-why w-w-w-wouldn't I-I-I-I b-b-b-be?”

            Areum sends him a smile (a grimace), looking like she's about to cry.

            Jaehyung immediately grabs the remote on the table.

            “Let’s head on to the next movie,” he says with a sense of urgency.

            Jaehyung’s choice is The Miracle in Cell No. 7. Just like Jieun, the first time Jaehyung watched it, he immediately went back to the theatre to watch it again and again. He even went back the next day.

            “Jae cries every time he watches this movie,” Jieun says. “It’s like a game for us now. We record at what time Jae starts bawling and so far, his record is twenty minutes into the movie.”

            “Twenty minutes?” Mina echoes, a little bit surprised.

            “I just keep remembering the events that are gonna happen after and it makes me so sad to watch it all from the beginning,” Jaehyung says, already tearing up.

            And as fate would have it, ten minutes into the movie (new record), Jaehyung was already a sobbing mess. By the end of the film, everyone joined him.

            “ _They were just such a happy family—how could this happen_?” he sobs into his knees, Areum patting him on the head.

            “It’s just the system, man…” Younghyun says, sniffling and wiping at his tears. “It’s the system…”

            “I can't believe that baby grew up to be like that, though,” Dowoon says, shaking his head. His eyes are red. “Her father sacrificed so much…”

            “Oh, and when they finally got their justice?” Jieun mentions, teary-eyed.

            Everyone sobs in sync at that, no one’s eyes tear-less. It takes them ten minutes to get over it.

            “I suppose it’s my turn, then,” Areum says, everyone finally calm.

            When she types in the name of the movie using the remote, everyone leans forward, as if making sure their eyes are working right.

            “‘Mad Max: Fury Road’?” Dowoon reads, blinking. “Noona, your favorite movie is Mad Max: Fury Road?”

            “Oh, yes, it is,” Areum says with a smile. “It’s completely my aesthetic.”

            Everyone stares at her and her neat ponytail, classy makeup and outfit, and the way she sits with one leg crossed over the other, elegant in every way.

            “Okay,” Jaehyung says. “Okay, let’s go with that.”

            By the end of the movie, everyone has at least one degree of judgment in their faces, Areum the only one looking delighted; she looks like she has stars in her eyes.

            “Oh, it’s just such a masterpiece,” she says with an elated look to her face. She has her hands clasped together. “Everything about it is amazing.”

            “Yeah,” Jieun says, hands still covering Mina’s eyes. “I’m sure we can all agree on that, unnie.”

            (It’s not that they think it’s a bad movie; it’s actually a really good movie. It’s just that the idea that this was _Areum’s_ favorite movie just wouldn't leave their heads the entire time they watched.)

            “So, Younghyun,” Dowoon prompts, as if wanting to change the subject. “What's your favorite movie?”

            “Oh, uh…” Younghyun scratches his head. “I don't really watch movies, so I can't really say.”

            “We get it—you’re poor,” Jaehyung calls out with two hands shaped over his mouth.

            Younghyun rolls his eyes, though with an amused smile on his face.

            “There's this one movie, though, that I wanna watch,” he says, scratching his head again. He turns to the TV. “Oh, there it is. Right in the recommended section.”

            Again, everyone leans forward, unbelieving.

            “‘To All the Boys I Loved Before’?” Mina reads. “Oppa, your favorite movie is To All the Boys I Loved Before?”

            “Well, I haven't watched it yet, but Hajoon from my class showed me the trailer the other day and it looked _really_ good,” Younghyun says, buzzing in his seat.

            “Are you sure you and unnie didn't, like, switch bodies?” Jieun asks.

            “You can switch bodies with someone?” Younghyun asks, intrigued.

            “For god’s sake,” Dowoon says, pressing the play button.

            When the movie ended, it was like a copy-paste of when Areum’s movie ended, with everyone’s faces filled with disbelief and Younghyun’s face filled with awe. (Again, no one thought it was a bad movie; it was just the juxtaposition.)

            “Oh my god, this is my favorite movie,” he whispers, looking like he just got sent revelation.

            “It’s your only movie,” Jieun and Jaehyung deadpan.

            “Eh, I liked it.” Dowoon shrugs.

            “That’s cause you're whipped,” Jieun says.

            “Whipped,” Jaehyung calls out.

            “Whipped,” Areum agrees.

            “Wh-whipped,” Mina stutters, feeling like she should join in, too.

            “I never said I wasn't,” Dowoon says, ears blushing.

            “Well, what's your favorite movie, then, Dowoon?” Areum prompts.

            “Oh, it’s this movie set in space with different people just venturing the universe,” Dowoon says, almost gushing about it. “I think a lot of people know about it.”

            “Oh, is it Star Wars?” Jieun asks.

            “No, it’s—”

“Star _Trek_ ,” Jaehyung says, with a snap of the finger.

            “N-no—”

            “Guardians of the Galaxy?” Mina helpfully supplies.

            “No, it’s none of that,” Dowoon says, shaking his head.

            “Then, what is it?” Younghyun asks, head tilted in confusion.

            Turns out the “movie set in space with different people venturing the universe” was a space documentary of various people trying to find ways to get to Mars.

            “I thought you said this was a popular movie,” Jaehyung says, already bored ten minutes into it.

            “Isn't it?” Dowoon asks, confused.

            “No. It’s not.”

            “Well, it _should_ be,” Dowoon says. “Nothing that even happened in Star Wars made sense scientifically.”

            At the end of the movie, the only ones left awake were Mina, Areum, and Dowoon, Jaehyung, Jieun, and Younghyun all fast asleep.

            “Cowards,” Dowoon shakes his head, though only minimally because Younghyun was resting his head on his shoulder, softly snoring.

            “I liked it, Dowoon-oppa,” Mina says with an encouraging nod. “It was very informative.”

            Dowoon puts a hand on his chest, touched.

            “I regret ever arguing with you,” he says, sincere and almost in tears.

            After waking the others up ten minutes later, it’s finally Mina’s turn to choose a movie.

            “Please don't be weird please don't be weird,” Jaehyung mutters under his breath, crossing his fingers.

            “Mina-yah, you know I adore you,” Jieun says, “but I have to agree to that.”

            Mina giggles, blushing a little.

            “Don't worry, unnie. I’m sure my favorite movie isn't that weird.”

            When she selects a movie, almost everyone heaves a sigh of relief.

            “When Marnie Was There!” Jaehyung praises the heavens. “Thank the sweet lord!”

            “Oh, I think I’ve seen this movie,” Areum says, looking pleasantly surprised. “I remember it was very heartwarming, though not as much as Mad Max.”

            “Why? What’s it about?” Younghyun asks.

            “Lesbians,” Dowoon answers.

            “Oh. Oh, okay.”

            Mina shakes her head a little, laughing a bit. It’s actually not about lesbians (though the trailer tries to say otherwise) but… well, they'll just have to see for themselves.

            “Let’s just watch the movie, okay, unnies and oppas?” she asks with a smile.

            She sees Jieun looking down at her, a fond smile on her face. For a moment, she looks like she's about to do something.

            Then, she reaches a hand up and pats Mina on the head.

            “Yeah, let’s,” she says, smiling at her before putting her hand down and turning to the TV.

 

Dowoon squints, staring at the scene in front of him.

            “—e used tongs Mina! He used _tongs_! To pick up a burning backing sheet!” Younghyun is ranting, waving his hands around.

            “B-but he must have had been wearing baking mittens, at least?” Mina asks, as if holding onto her last hope.

            “I’m afraid not,” Younghyun says, grim. “It was their first time baking. _All_ of them.”

            “That must have been awful,” Mina says with a sympathizing voice.

            “Oh, it was,” Younghyun says, nodding. “But you know the worst part of it all?”

            Mina clasps her hands, as if bracing for impact.

            “They shaped and baked the cookies,” Younghyun says, voice low, “with _none_ of the ingredients _fully_ incorporated.”

            Mina gasps in horror and the two of them continue their odd conversation, as if they've been friends for weeks. Dowoon keeps squinting, feeling a furrow form in his eyebrows.

            “What the heck are you doing?” someone says, and Dowoon, startled, flips the bowl of popcorn over, sending all the clouds of corn flying and falling. Lonely. Broken.

            Dowoon turns to his right to see Jaehyung and Areum standing next to him by the kitchen counter, each carrying a bowl of food.

            “You know that was our last bag of popcorn, right?” Jaehyung points out with two raised eyebrows.

            “No, I do not,” Dowoon says, already going over to grab a broomstick in the corner of the kitchen. He ignores the warmth spreading across his face.

            He feels Jaehyung setting down his bowl on the counter and looking out through the kitchen window.

            “You weren't spying on Mina and Younghyun just now, were you?” he asks. “Because if you were, I think we might have to have The Talk.”

            “Ugh, I wasn't _spying_ on them,” Dowoon says, sweeping up the popcorn. “Well… at least not in _that_ way.”

            “What way, then?” Areum asks, also setting her bowl down on the counter.

            “It’s just… Younghyun’s been friendless for almost all of high school,” Dowoon starts, eyes set down on his work. “And I know that because I've been in the same class in him two times, both in first year and third year. No one likes talking to him, everyone’s afraid of him, and before I didn't really care much about it—I mean, he literally copied off my quizzes; why would I care about a person like that—but now that I've known him, hung out with him, and fell in love with him, I've just been thinking about how much I want him to have all the friends he can have. He's an extrovert, you know. Even if it doesn't seem like it.”

            “Oh, right,” Jaehyung says. “You also did that thing with the Band members, right? I think they're literally the only ones in the school other than us who are okay with hanging out with him.”

            “Yeah, I know,” Dowoon says. “And things like that make me happy. Like, really, _really_ happy for him. To see him come out of his shell. To make friends. To have so many reasons to smile.”

            “… But?” Areum asks. Dowoon sighs.

            “I’m just afraid he’ll have so many reasons to smile that…” Dowoon stops sweeping. “That I won't be one anymore.”

            None of them speak for a while, the only thing filling up the silence the sound of Mina and Younghyun’s laughter from the living room, talking about something related to Economics or something.

            “Plus, a lot of people keep sending Younghyun flirty eyes whenever we pass by an area and it’s super annoying,” Dowoon adds as an afterthought.

            Jaehyung lets out a breath of laughter at that, before sitting up on the counter, legs dangling.

            “You know, Jieun’s been loveless almost her entire life,” he says, and Dowoon looks up. “And every time she would have her heart broken, she would always turn to me.”

            Jaehyung is looking at something in the distance, Areum looking up at him as he talks, Dowoon listening as he does.

            “I always thought it was gonna be that way, you know,” he says. “That she was gonna keep getting her heart broken and that I was always gonna buy her five boxes of creampuffs to help her move on.

            “But then she kept a secret from me. For the _first_ time ever since we became friends. It made me feel like maybe she didn't value our friendship as much as she used to, and that really, really hurt.

            “But then I realized that no matter how close we are, no matter how long we've been friends—family, even—there are things that she does that doesn't revolve around me. And they don't _have_ to revolve around me. And that she's her own person.

            “And yeah, as her best friend, there are certain things that she _definitely_ needs to let me know, but if she feels like she can't tell me, then I gotta respect that. She knows me like the back of my hand, and I know for a fact that if she _did_ keep more secrets from me, it would be for good reason.

            “Because I trust her. And I love her. Not in that way— _never_ in that way; God, I hope I never say that sentence ever again, eugh—but the point is that I know what kind of person she is. And I know that I care about her. And if it's something that makes her happy, who am I to stop her?

            “Mina makes her happy. _So_ much happier than I've ever seen her. And when she smiles, I want to smile, too, because being so close to her makes it feel like I _am_ her. Which is a weird flex, but you get it.

            “If you feel insecure that Younghyun might have other things he likes more than you, talk to him about it. Don't go having these kinds of thoughts behind his back because you and I both know he'd want to know.”

            “Because he loves me,” Dowoon says, voice soft.

            “Because he loves you,” Jaehyung echoes.

            “Because I love him.”

            “That, too.”

            Dowoon nods, looking like he got it. Jaehyung pats him on the shoulder.

            “But you know, dude, I’m actually pretty proud of you,” he says.

            “Huh? Why?” Dowoon looks up at that.

            “You don't stutter when you say you love Younghyun anymore.”

            At that, surprisingly to Jaehyung, Dowoon laughs, a grin appearing on his face.

            “When you're loved by someone like Younghyun,” he says, “what do you have to be embarrassed for?”

            He turns to the kitchen window, where Younghyun and Mina are still chatting, animatedly even.

            “—nd it was so cool, you know?” Younghyun gushes. “Like—liquid that’s _metal_ , man! Metal liquid!”

            “Isn't it liquid metal?” Mina asks, though she looks just as excited for the elements as Younghyun is.

            “Nah, I’m pretty sure it’s metal liquid—I’m more advanced than you in learning, so I have to be right, right?”

            “What the heck is that idiot doing,” Dowoon mumbles in a low tone. “It’s _liquid_ metal, not _metal_ liquid; we already went through this, freaking—”

            Dowoon hastily finishes cleaning up his mess before leaving the kitchen to approach the two in the living room, immediately whacking Younghyun upside the head and startling Mina.      Jieun suddenly pops up from nowhere, probably attracted to the sounds of pain coming from Younghyun’s side.

            “That was very mature of you, Jaehyung,” Areum says, and Jaehyung turns to her, watching a smile playing on her lips as she stares up at him. “Didn't think you'd be able to come up with such sage advice.”

            “Well, I've had a lot to think about lately.” Jaehyung scratches behind his neck. “I mean—you can’t come up with sage advice if you haven't gone through some really sucky stuff, right?”

            Areum breathes out a laughter at that. “That is true,” she says. “Sometimes, I feel like I need to listen to you more. You say things even I would never think of. And I’m older.”

            “Well, it's still only two years after all,” Jaehyung says. “That isn't that big of a difference.”

            Areum smiles small at that, looking down. Jaehyung smiles, too, looking forward, legs dangling from where he sits on the counter.

            “By the way, Jaehyung—” he turns to look at Areum— “you noticed it, too, right?”

            Jaehyung nods. “The thing with Jieun and Mina?”

            “It happened when Mina first came here. And when we were about to watch When Marnie Was There, too.”

            The two of them look out the kitchen window, watching Dowoon, Younghyun, Mina, and Jieun chat in the living room. Dowoon and Mina are currently excitedly talking about something called the Malthusian Theory, with Younghyun seated at the side with nothing but “???” etched across his face. But he still listens, anyway.

            Meanwhile, Jieun is also joined in the discussion, sitting next to Mina on the couch. Except there's a considerable distance between, enough to fit a baby, maybe. And when Jaehyung spots Jieun glancing at Mina every so often, he knows. He knows.

            “Perhaps it's better to let them handle this themselves,” Areum says, still staring out the window. “It’s their relationship, not ours.”

            “Amen to that.” Jaehyung jumps off the counter. “I am tired of spending all my money on way too many creampuffs. I didn't even get to try _one_.”

            “Oh, are you broke right now, Jaehyung?” Areum asks, grabbing her bowl of fries.

            “Yes,” Jaehyung cries, grabbing his bowl of candy. “It’s kinda why I can only meet you outside Beauteaful. I can't afford even _one_ cup of coffee.”

            Areum hums, walking out of the kitchen. “Well, I could treat you, if you want. It doesn't have to be at Beauteaful; where would you like to go?”

            “Are you serious?” Areum nods. “Holy duck—uh, I’m not sure! Uh… Oh! There's this lobster place, but I think it might be too expensive.”

            Areum gives him a thumbs-up.

            “Don't worry,” she says with a grin. “I already got my pay for the week.”

            Jaehyung opens his mouth out wide.

            “Dude, _sweet_! I mean—noona, _sweet_!”

            Areum lets out a giggle of laughter at that, listening to Jaehyung talk excitedly behind her. It really is nice to hear that laugh, for whatever reason it might occur. For following days, Areum wants only laughter for Jaehyung, no more tears, no more crying under the rain.

            She places her bowl on the low table, happy to continue the night.

 

“Hang on for a bit, okay, Mina-yah?” Jieun says, searching through under her bed. “I’ve gotta make sure we've got enough equipment.”

            The two of them are in Jieun’s room, Mina seated on her bed and Jieun’s lower half sticking out from under it, having searched for about a minute now. The others had left already after watching their last movie of the night: Jaehyung’s video project from back in middle school. It had featured a lonely, young boy (Jaehyung), walking through the paths of life and encountering numerous obstacles, which ultimately lead to the conclusion: “Sir Han, please give us a good grade. You are very handsome.” Jaehyung had watched the entire thing behind the couch, horrified beyond measure.

            It made for a pretty memorable night filled with laughter, and teasing, and smiles plastered on everyone’s faces.

            For Mina, however, there was also something else.

            “A- _ha_!” Jieun yells out from under the bed, and she scoots out of there with a black bag in tow, hair full of dust now. “Finally got it!”

            When Jieun opens the bag, Mina sees that it's filled with numerous self-defense items: pepper spray, a pocket knife, a sword—a sword? … Huh. And numerous others.

            “I was wondering what unnie meant by equipment,” Mina says, swinging her legs forward and backward on the edge of the bed. “Which one are you gonna take?”

            “Oh, all of them,” Jieun says, zipping up the bag. “You never know when all of this might become useful. I gotta take care of you, you know? Plus, it’s pretty dark out right now, so we gotta get as much murder weapons as we can get.”

            “ _Murder_ weapons?” Mina echoes.

            “ _Homicide_ weapons.” Jieun grins. “We’ll say we never meant to do it.”

            Mina lets out a laugh at that, finding this side of Jieun really, really fun to be around. She’s definitely not as classy or refined as Areum is, but… Mina likes that about her. She's funny. And quirky. Mina likes that.

            She reaches out a hand to wipe the dust off Jieun’s hair and feels Jieun freeze in shock.

            “Unnie, you gotta take care of yourself, too,” she says, smiling small, feeling shy. “Can't get dirty like this.”

            Jieun looks up at her then, from where she kneels on the floor, and Mina’s movements eventually falter, her fingers passing by Jieun’s long, straight hair and stopping there, just at the tips.

            Then, Jieun smiles at her and squeezes Mina’s hand once, standing up.

            “Thanks, Mina-yah,” she says. “Come on, let’s go. Your parents need you by midnight, right?”

            She moves to remove Mina’s hand off her, but Mina stops her, intertwining their fingers together.

            “Unnie,” Mina starts, looking down.

            “Hm?” Jieun says, looking down at her. “What is it, Mina-yah?”

            Mina looks up at that, eyes serious.

            “You've been holding yourself back this entire movie night,” she says, “haven't you, unnie?”

            At that, Jieun flinches, before letting out a nervous laugh, eyes looking at anywhere but Mina.

            “So, I've been caught, huh…” she says. “Sorry.”

            Mina may have only known Jieun for well-over a month, but she knows that Jieun is the type to hold hands with her partner, cuddle with her partner even when there's no reason to and ask them to always be close to them. She’s clingier than anyone Mina’s ever met, more loving than anyone Mina’s ever met, and if Jieun had asked her to walk slowly with her on the way to her house, Mina wouldn’t have been surprised.

            But all Jieun’s done today is compliment her, cuddle with her only during Train to Busan, and pat her head.

            And the only reason why they took a long time coming to the house was because Mina got late.

            That was it. That was all it.

            She knows that Jieun wanted to do more. She knows because she saw the way Jieun hesitated whenever she was able to lean in to kiss her—on the forehead, on the lips—it didn't matter because she didn't do it. When Mina knows she definitely would've.

            “Why have you been hesitating?” Mina asks, holding Jieun’s hands in front of her, Jieun standing across. “Unnie, I know we've only been dating for three days, but you've always been so… _forward_ about everything. Why not now?”

            Jieun sighs, looking down at their hands.

            “It’s just… I just realized that the reason why we… why you ran out of the theatre that day was _because_ I was being forward,” Jieun says. “ _Too_ forward. When I should've waited until you were more comfortable with me, until we knew each other a little bit more… it was because I didn't know you had that kind of past that the present sort of… blew up.”

            Jieun won't look at her.

            “I don't want to make another mistake like that again,” she whispers.

            Mina stares at her for a few moments, watching the way she’s staring down at the floor, in a way that’s unlike her at all. The saturation of her colors dimmed down a bit. Pigments more blue than red.

            And then, Mina finds a tiny smile coming up her face, feeling her heart constrict just a little bit.

            “Unnie,” she says, “you're pretty cute, aren't you.”

            Jieun looks up at that, a bit taken aback for a moment. She gets even more surprised when she sees the smile on Mina’s face, and she yelps in shock when Mina pulls her in for a hug, wrapping her arms around her and looking up at her.

            “Mina-yah?” she says, blinking in shock.

            “Unnie,” Mina giggles, “you really, _really_ are cute.”

            Jieun just keeps staring down at Mina with “???” in her eyes, waiting for an answer.

            “Unnie,” Mina says, “you already said it, didn't you? You aren't her. And you won't ever hurt me.”

            Jieun lets out a breath at that. “But still—”

            “What's past is past,” Mina says. “And what matters is what we have to do in the present—who we _are_ in the present. You taught me that. It’s what made me wanna try again with you. Are you really going to make me regret that decision?”

            Jieun stares at Mina for a moment. Then, she breathes out a laughter.

            “You're really good at making people feel guilty about themselves,” she says. “You're not as innocent as I thought.”

            “We've only been dating for three days, unnie,” Mina says with a grin. “There are many things you still don't know about me.”

            Jieun smiles at that, before reaching a hand to cup Mina’s face.

            “Guess we're just gonna have to find out in the future, huh?” she says.

            “We’ll have to stay together for a long time for that,” Mina says, smiling as well.

            “I don't think I’d mind.”

            They stare at each other for a moment, sharing it. Colors fly around them, but they pay no mind, what's in front of them the only thing in focus.

            Then, slowly, Jieun leans down and Mina reaches up, the both of them closing their eyes. Jieun presses her lips onto Mina’s and feels the younger smile into it, watercolor staining their clothes, paint blending into each other.

            Jieun pulls away to see Mina still with her eyes closed.

            “Mina-yah?” she asks, wondering what she's doing.

            Mina opens one eye. Then, she closes that eye. Then, Jieun laughs and leans in to kiss Mina again. And again. And again. Peppering her with so many kisses that she's certain she's already paid her debt from tonight.

            Mina finally giggles into the kiss.

            “Okay, unnie, I think that's enough now,” she giggles.

            But Jieun just presses another kiss onto her lips. Mina keeps giggling.

            “Unnie—”

            Kiss.

            “Seriously—”

            Kiss.

            “It’s—”

            Kiss.

            “Almost mi—”

            Kiss.

            “—dnight.”

            “You got what you asked for, you know,” Jieun says, grinning and kissing Mina again. “I’m not hesitating anymore.”

            Mina giggles, receiving another kiss. “But you can't kiss me anymore if you don't take me home on time. Mommy and Daddy are very strict on that.”

            “Fine, fine! Just one last one.” Jieun kisses her on the lips. “And one more.” On the forehead. “And another.” On the cheeks. “Last one.” On her temple. “ _Really_ last one—”

            “Unnie!” Mina lets out, laughing and feeling her entire body blushing warm, warm, warm.

            “Okay, okay, let’s go!” Jieun says, grabbing the bag on the floor and hastily putting it over her shoulders. She grabs Mina’s hand and promptly yanks her off the bed, apologizing when Mina nearly trips over herself. But she's laughing on the way out.

            Jieun would be lying if she said she was completely okay with being so forward like this with Mina (she stops every now and then on the way to Mina’s house to place a chaste kiss on her cheeks) and perhaps there's still a little fear in her that she might make a mistake.

            But the one thing she's sure of is that she likes Mina. Really, really _likes_ Mina. And she wants this to grow into love someday. No matter how long it takes.

            When they reach Mina’s doorstep, it’s Mina who pulls Jieun down to kiss her, staying there for maybe two seconds. Maybe more. And when she gets inside her building at 11:54, Jieun waits until she's up the elevator before leaving the place.

            She skips on her way home. Probably all the way.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for beta-reading the rest of WSLY!! It wouldn't have been as great without you in it :').
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	41. Steps forward, steps back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dowoon discovers a change with Younghyun that he didn't expect to come so soon.

“—And finally, let’s move on to literature,” Dowoon is saying, putting away the previous books and getting a new one from his bag. “Here. It’s a book I bought from the bookstore a few months ago.”

            Younghyun takes the book, looking down at the yellow, red, and white color scheme of the cover.

            “So, this isn’t the book issued by the school?” he asks, turning the book over.

            Dowoon gives him a disgusted look. “Ugh, I refuse to even _look_ at that one,” he says, zipping his bag closed. “All the formatting is wonky, some of the information isn’t even accurate—they list Wikipedia as their _only_ source for a lesson; who on Earth let the school issue that book in the first place?”

            “I thought it was published by one of the teachers.”

            Dowoon seethes, squinting his eyes. “Mrs Im. Disgraceful.”

            They're having another one of their regularly-scheduled tutoring sessions, set in Dowoon’s room by the foot of his bed and on the floor, notebooks and books either strewn about (Younghyun) or placed neatly to the side (Dowoon).

            Outside the window, Dowoon can see that the sun had long since passed the horizon hours ago, nothing but a dark canvas facing him. In a few minutes time, after Dowoon finishes tutoring Younghyun on their last subject of the day, they can finally get into bed and fall asleep, stomachs already filled with the kimbap Dowoon’s mother made for the both of them. He’s in a really big Cuddle Mood right now and he Wants It.

            Dowoon reaches up and stretches for a bit, ready to get this over with.

            “Alright, Younghyun, let’s head on to page four now,” he says, and Younghyun stops reading the back of the book to flip through the pages. “This one is fairly new, and we won't be studying it ‘til next week, but I figured we could squeeze in some advanced reading so we could have a head start—”

            “Oh! I already know this one,” Younghyun suddenly exclaims, looking down at the page he’s on.

            “Wait—what?” Dowoon blinks, surprised. “What do you mean you already know this one?”

            “You know that time when we had self-study at the library and Jaehyung and Jieun made Wonpil believe that I was the one who threw a paper ball at him when it was really them?” Younghyun asks, nodding seriously.

            “Uh… sure?” Dowoon glances to the side and then back, wondering what the hell this has to do with anything.

            “Well, since Wonpil wouldn't stop glaring at me the entire time, I couldn't _pretend_ to read anything, so I actually _did_ read something.”

            Younghyun waves the book at Dowoon with the grin.

            “And the thing I read was the full version of the excerpt in your book,” he says. “What a coincidence, huh?”

            Dowoon keeps his eyebrows furrowed, a bit confused.

            “But the entire thing is, like, two hundred pages long in a size ten font,” Dowoon says. “There weren't even any pictures.”

            “So? You don't need pictures to make a book interesting.”

            “But you hate reading on your own without me telling you what the story represents. And you think books without pictures are boring.”

            “This one was different.” Younghyun shrugs, closing the book. “I just really liked reading it, is all.”

            “It’s a historical non-fiction text about the woes of a country colonized by Spain.”

            “Man, those guys were jerks.” Younghyun shudders. “We literally just minded our own business. All we did was trade, man— _trade_.”

            Dowoon takes the book from Younghyun’s hand, albeit a bit forcibly but for some reason he can't calm himself down right now. He flips to page five of the book, reading out the guide questions.

            “Why were the people of that time so affected by just one novel?” he asks.

            “Hmm, ‘cause it was something new, I guess?” Younghyun says, looking like he's just now thinking of the answer. “The concept of self-identity to the people of that time was practically zero, so to have a novel talk about such a new idea must have been very empowering.”

            “Why did the narrator say that the act of reading was a heroic one?”

            “At the time, the colonizers looked down at the cultures and ways of the natives. They punished them, demeaned them—so to read something that the people in power could literally kill you for for the sake of your country's freedom couldn't be anything less.”

            “What is meant by, ‘Art is a reproach to who receives it’?”

            “It means that art—in literally any form it can take up—is like a mirror, reflecting all your flaws. Doesn't matter if the creator intended for it to be that way—if something affects you so much, it will reflect in your work. Therefore, it becomes a reproach.”

            Dowoon puts down the book, feeling a lump in his throat. Younghyun is smiling at him, eyes asking him, “Any more questions?” and Dowoon finds that he doesn't have any.

            He looks down at his lap, where his hands loosely hold the book. He thinks of the last question, the one about art being a reproach.

            When Dowoon first answered that question, he interpreted it as art being a disappointment to the people looking at it. His teacher had told him he was wrong. His teacher had told him what the right answer was.

            The right answer was exactly Younghyun’s.

            And he didn't even need Dowoon to tell him what it was.

            “Dowoon?”

            This is great. This is amazing. This means Younghyun’s improved so much that he can get the right answer without asking Dowoon if it really is the right one.

            “Dowoon? _Dowoon_.”

            He’s growing. He's improved. He can—he is—he doesn’t—

            “Dowoon!”

            Dowoon feels a pair of hands cup his face, and he looks up to see Younghyun, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

            “Hey, you okay?” he asks. “You're spacing out.”

            Dowoon gives him a small smile before placing a kiss on his nose.

            “Yeah, I’m okay,” he says.

            Younghyun frowns. “Doesn't seem like it.”

            Dowoon just removes Younghyun’s hands from his face before climbing on his lap, straddling him. He wraps his arms around Younghyun’s neck and buries his face in the crook of it, feeling a pair of arms wrap around his torso. They stay like that for a while.

            Then, Dowoon places one (1) kiss on Younghyun’s neck.

            “Pff, that tickles,” Younghyun says.

            Dowoon places one more, and one more, and more and more and more. Younghyun is giggling now, though he doesn't let go of Dowoon.

            Dowoon blows a raspberry on Younghyun’s neck and Younghyun laughs one more time, before gently removing Dowoon from him.

            “Okay, Dowoon,” he says, tiny smile on his face. “That's enough kisses for now.”

            Dowoon just places one on Younghyun’s lips.

            “Not enough,” he says, and watches Younghyun’s smile grow wider, though not as wide as it could be.

            Dowoon hugs Younghyun again, sighing a little and inadvertently staring at the blankets on his bed. He presses his cheek against Younghyun’s neck.

            “You know, you've improved a lot,” he says, voice quiet.

            “Improved?” Younghyun questions.

            “Yeah. In learning. At school. At academic stuff.”

            “Really?”

            “Yeah, I mean—you solve Math problems quicker now. And you can read words in English in their right pronunciation even though we haven't learned it yet. And you memorized the entire table of elements in a week. And you said before you haven't even tried to do so.”

            He hugs Younghyun tighter.

            “You've become so much smarter,” he says, voice low, almost as if he's talking to himself.

            Dowoon knows he should be happy for him. He should be happy for him because he's growing and getting better and it’s good for him to improve because it’ll make things easier for him in the future.

            And yet. And yet.

            Dowoon buries his face in Younghyun’s neck and opens his mouth to say something.     

            These past few weeks had gotten Dowoon thinking about a lot of things. About college, about work, about how they're gonna be graduating in a few months. About whether or not he’ll keep staying at home or moving to a new apartment, so he could be closer to university. About which university he’ll be going to. About whom he’ll be going with.

            In every single thing he's imagined, only one thing remained constant: the fact that Younghyun was there, by his side, holding his hand and smiling. They'd be moving into a new apartment together and attending the same university. Dowoon would get a part-time job different from Younghyun’s because they both knew they'd get too distracted with each other to focus on work. There would be days where Younghyun would be waiting for Dowoon to come home, and there would be days Dowoon would. No matter what it is they did, it would always have something to do with each other, one way or another.

            But Dowoon knows life loves to kick and punch people when they least expect it, and it's the one thing that scares Dowoon. How life would take Younghyun away from him, in one way or another. How he’d move away from him, slip in between his fingertips, and Dowoon would be left standing while Younghyun is miles away. How the little things would turn into big strides and no one is going to be there holding his hand anymore.

            Younghyun taking steps forward, while Dowoon would stay in the same place. Stuck. Without him. Without the person he loves the most.

            His voice comes out muffled.

            “Smart people don't need tutors, right?” he says.

            Because one day, Younghyun might find something better than Dowoon. One day, he might choose that over him. One day, he might leave.

            One day, Younghyun might not need Dowoon anymore. It’s the one thing he's afraid of the most.

            Younghyun finally speaks.

            “Probably not,” he says, and Dowoon feels his chest tighten.

            Then, he's saying something else.

            “Unless they like their tutor,” he continues. “Unless they like them a lot.

            “Unless they like the way their tutor talks about things their passionate about even though sometimes it flies over their head. Unless they like listening to them and like how they see things in a way they never thought they could before. They'd probably watch them talk forever.

            “Unless that tutor was the reason why they started liking school in the first place. Made school something more than something he’s obliged to do so he wouldn't waste his parents’ efforts. Made school fun, made learning fun, even when he forgets a lot of what he's learned.

            “That tutor would be the reason why he's trying hard to study better and get higher grades and scores because he likes the proud look he gives him. That tutor would be someone he's completely grateful for because he's changed him so much and in so many ways and he wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.

            “Even if he doesn't need that tutor anymore, even if he becomes smart enough to not need one, he'd still choose to have one, wouldn't he? If that tutor was like all of that. If that tutor was like you.”

            Dowoon slowly unburies his face to look at Younghyun in the eye. He's looking at him with all the sincerity in the world.

            “Don't you think?” Younghyun asks, sending him a smile, and Dowoon leans in to kiss him on the lips, feeling flowers blooming all over the room and all over them, constellations lining the petals. He can feel Younghyun thread stardust into his hair, Saturn’s rings wrapping around them tighter, and every shooting star flying past.

            He pulls away and catches the comets of kisses that chase after him, looks at a galaxy of stars staring right at him, and finds himself more in love than before.

            “I love you, Younghyun,” Dowoon says. “I really, really love you.”

            Younghyun grins wide at him, pink stardust on his cheeks.

            “I love you, too,” he says, placing another kiss on Dowoon’s lips.

            Dowoon pecks his lips again. And again. And once more.

            “We should probably get to bed now,” he says, placing another kiss. “You already know what we're gonna be tackling about in Literature, anyway.”

            Younghyun hums, pecking Dowoon on the lips. “But I wanna see you talk about it.”

            “It’s Saturday tomorrow; you can see me talk about it then.” Kiss. “Besides, I wanna cuddle with you.”

            “You're in the Cuddle Mood?”

            “I’m _always_ in the Cuddle Mood; let's just _gooo_.”

            They lie in bed and cuddle, as promised, with Dowoon’s face buried in Younghyun’s chest and Younghyun’s arm wrapped around Dowoon, as they always are. Dowoon places a kiss on Younghyun’s collarbone every now and then and makes Younghyun giggle every time. The boy is surprisingly ticklish, he discovers.

            For some reason, Dowoon recalls about when they had a study session at Jieun’s house. When Younghyun cried about everyone being faster than him. How Dowoon told him he'd stay by his side and make it so they're always walking the same pace. Beside each other. Holding each other's hand.

            He supposes if the roles were switched, Younghyun would do the same.

            Honestly, why is Younghyun so perfect. Honestly. I mean, he's still pretty dumb and dense and almost always confused about everything, and sometimes he can get really annoying when he teases him and when he pulls out those cheesy jokes outta nowhere like he keeps a notebook of them somewhere in his pocket, but he's still pretty perfect despite it. He's perfect to Dowoon.

            “I’m perfect to you?” Younghyun asks, sounding surprised.

            “You weren't supposed to hear that,” Dowoon says, feeling his ears burn up. “Or this.”

            “I’m perfect, even though I’m dumb and annoying,” Younghyun says, as if mulling over the thought. “I can accept that.”

            Dowoon just rolls his eyes and hugs Younghyun tighter.

            “Let's just sleep,” he says.

            And they do.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • The amount of rewrites this thing has I stg akahs I wrote this in a span of three days and none of the words sounded right so I just kept rewriting and rewriting until I got to this one ;; the woes of a writer  
> • Also lmao what I rmb is that this is actually a chapter that I previously wrote back in 2018 as a draft of some sort bUT I COUDNT FIND IT and it frustrated me so much bec I rmb the wording was So Good hnggg  
> • also no I don’t think they actually study Philippine literature in korea (i'll be changing this to smth more in line with the actual korean education once ive done enough research)
> 
> ADDITIONALLY!! If you didn't know, I'm currently managing this year's [BRIWOON WEEK!!](https://twitter.com/briwoonweek) which will be held on Sept 6 to Sept 12, with corresponding prompts. You can post any kind of content you want, and if you're a writer on AO3, you can post on the briwoonweek19 collection!! I hope you'll all love to join 😊 WIPs, drafts, and ideas/headcanons are also loved, so no need to be scared about it hehe (More information via the link above)
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for beta-reading the rest of WSLY!! It wouldn't have been as great without you in it :').
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


	42. A noona out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jieun, Mina, and Areum go to the district area for a girl's day out--or, according to Jieun, a noona out.

The streets of the business district are filled with an uncountable amount of people, the day being an eventful Sunday noon. People from all over the city had come over here after they heard that The Cookiery, the most popular restaurant/bakeshop in the district, was going to shut down in a few months because some rich jerk had enough money in his pockets to buy the entire freaking building.

            Every single person here pitched in order to convince the owner, a man by the name of Kangta, to fight against that rich jerk. And right now, it seems that he's currently halfway to filing a lawsuit.

            “I don't think I've ever seen so many people line up for one restaurant before,” Mina says in a combination of awe and fear. “Was The Cookiery really that popular?”

            “ _Oh_ , yeah,” Jieun says as they pass by the crowd, none of them having the energy to deal with that ever. “Jae and I had to get a reservation hours before we could order. Dude wouldn't stop whining and whining about how long it took—you know, one time when our families went on a trip together, he kept yelling, ‘Convenience store! Convenience store!’ when we were literally in the middle of nowhere. He is an absolute nightmare, I tell you.”

            “Well, good thing he isn't here, then,” Areum giggles with a hand covering her smiling lips. “Since it’s an all-girls outing today.”

            Areum had been the one to suggest for the three of them to hang out together, just them girls and no guys. It’s been a personal dream of hers to be able to go out with girl friends and do girl things, especially when she was always such a shut-in as a kid. And although Jaehyung, Younghyun, and Dowoon are probably the only respectable men she's ever met, hanging out with just girls is an experience those three can never give.

            “Believe me, I’d love to be away from that hideous creature for even just a second,” Jieun replies, stretching her arms forward.

            “You and Jae-oppa _are_ best friends, right?” Mina timidly asks.

            “It's how we love each other,” Jieun says with a nod. “Even though he is the most unlovable human being on the planet.”

            “It's a good thing he's finally gotten to sticking those glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling,” Areum recalls. “I remember the last time, he fell from the bed while trying to stick them and broke all of the stars. And possibly his back.”

            “Don't worry, unnie,” Jieun says with a thumbs-up. “I put him in good hands.”

 

“Should it go like this? Or… like this?” Jaehyung asks, twisting one of the stars around.

            “I think it's upside-down, actually,” Younghyun says, flipping a star over. “Or… maybe backwards?”

            “You guys, it says here that there's some kind of film we have to remove first,” Dowoon calls from the bed, a manual in his hands.

            “Ohhh,” Younghyun and Jaehyung say at the same time. “That makes a lot more sense.”

            Suddenly, the door to their room slams open with a _bang!_ and in comes Lee Jooheon, carrying about a dozen boxes in his arms.

            “Pizza has arrived!” he yells, and the entire room erupts into cheers.

 

“I do hope you're right…” Areum says, flashbacking to so many bad scenarios in her life.

            The three of them continue making their way downtown, walking fast to get to the other part of the district quickly before the mob grows bigger and there wouldn't be any more space left for a girl’s day out.

            “In all honesty, though,” Jieun says as they turn a corner, The Music Shop just a head-turn away, “I've never hung out with just girls like this before.”

            “Oh, unnie, you haven't?” Mina asks, looking curious.

            Jieun shakes her head no. “I've always just been surrounded by guys my entire life. Not really by choice, but it just turned out that way. I haven't really had the time to really… hang out with girls. Like, in a girl way.

            “And I don't mean, like, skirts and make-up and—well, I mean, look at me!”

            Jieun gestures to all of her, all of her being a maroon turtleneck shirt, a brown above-the-knee skirt, black stockings, and heeled boots.

            “I do like all those ‘feminine’ stuff and I do like all those ‘masculine’ stuff right with it,” she continues, “but I've never actually had the chance to be around girls. More so, because of my problem—”

            “Your problem?” Areum inquires.

            “Unnie has this tendency to flirt with every single girl she sees,” Mina informs her. “Jae-oppa told me it's the reason why he's been single for the rest of his life.”

            Areum glances to the side with a “Huh, interesting,” expression on her face as Jieun continues, “To be honest, I don't really know what to think of it. Like, people are people, right? You're unique because of your personality and just because you're a certain gender, doesn't mean you also have a certain personality.

            “It’s just…”

            Jieun looks down, hand gripping onto her strap bag.

            “I don't know how to act when it's just girls,” she says, voice quiet.

            Areum and Mina turn to each other, sharing a knowing look.

            Then, they nod only once before going on either side of Jieun and each grabbing hold of her arms. She whips her head back-and-forth between them, ??? etched across her entire forehead.

            “Well, I’ll have you know that hanging out with girls isn't all that different from hanging out with boys,” Areum says beside her.

            “It’s true, unnie!” Mina nods encouragingly. “Our class is, like, eighty percent girls and when I hung out with you guys for the movie night, it didn't feel that different.”

            “So, don't you worry about having to act a certain way just because you're surrounded by people you aren't used to,” Areum says. “If they’ll like you, they'll like you. People are unique because of their personalities, not their gender, right?”

            “Besides, unnie, we already do like you!” Mina says. “And—and—and I like you—you know—in that way—a-a-as your g-g-girlfriend and—”

            Mina explodes in embarrassment, face the color of a very, very ripe tomato, and Areum sends her a reassuring look. _It’s okay, Mina. You did your best._

            Jieun just looks between the two, maybe a little bit surprised at the fact that they're doing their best to reassure her there's nothing to worry about.

            Then, she smiles, grinny and wide, and then she's pulling Areum and Mina closer to her, giggly.

            “Alright, then!” she giggles, linking their arms together. “If that’s the case, then we’ll just have the bestest friend day ever. It’ll be like a girls’ night out, except at noon, so then a noon ou—”

            Jieun suddenly gasps big and wide and stops in her tracks, both figuratively and physically, as an epiphany etches her face in complete, unprecedentedヽ(°〇°)ﾉ.

            “ _A Noona Out_ ,” Jieun says with such weight on the words, looking like she just found out the answer to the entire universe right then.

            Mina and Areum glance at each other once. Then, they find themselves snorting at the same.

            “A Noona Out it is, then,” Areum says, smiling, wrapping her arm around Jieun’s tighter.

            Mina giggles, as well, coming closer despite the blush on her cheeks.

            “Let the Noona Out commence!”

 

“—Oh, this? I got this one from a bachelor in Spain. He was my lover, and we spent many, _many_ nights together before I had to bid him a tearful farewell,” Jieun says, showing everyone in the room the big, blue (fake) diamond ring on her finger.

   “This is actually a very intriguing story; do continue,” Areum says, nodding.

   “Of course, it was not at all difficult getting this ring from him,” Jieun says, walking around the room. “After all—”

   She turns to Areum with a devious look.

   “How difficult could it be to get a ring off a dead man’s body?”

   Areum gasps small. “ _Oh, my word.”_

   “Miss, are your friends going to buy something or what,” the store clerk says.

   Mina continues sweating.

 

“ _GAME OVER_ ,” comes a heavy voice on the speaker and Mina lowers the gun in her hands.

   “Aw, I lost again,” she says, putting her bottom lips out in a pout.

   “Aw, don’t fret, my beautiful baby girl!” Jieun pulls Mina in a tight hug, squishing their cheeks together. “You’re always a winner in unnie’s heart.”

   “ _HNGGGG—”_

 _“_ Besides, this was a really hard level! There were _waaay_ too many Cy-bugs and you had _waaay_ too little ammo—I bet Areum-unnie’s having difficulty, too!”

   They turn to the woman next to them.

   To find her shooting every single Cy-bug in sight with such precision, accuracy, and speed, her movements almost in a blur. She shoots the eggs before they hatch, sends a monster flying down in the distance with a cry—a Cy-bug comes in front of her, opening its jaw to eat her—

   And she shoots it into smithereens, running towards her goal with an air of queenly grace.

   Two minutes later, the speaker on her side is saying, “ _LEVEL COMPLETED. CONGRATULATIONS, HERO_.”

   “Aw, how sweet to call me a hero,” Areum says, giggling a little bit. “I quite like this game.”

   Mina and Jieun keep staring at her.

   Then, they walk away, silenced, heading over to the basketball game.

 

“How do your eyelashes not get clumps,” Jieun says, staring at the way Areum is applying mascara in front of the mirror, seated on the sink.

   “Tread lightly, Jieun,” Areum advises, now touching up on her lips. “Too much is too much.”

   “Wahhh, unnie, you’re really good at doing make-up,” Mina says, watching her with childlike eyes. “I’ve never tried that sort of thing before so it’s so amazing to me.”

   Areum and Jieun turn to look at Mina slowly.

   “Are you saying you’re not wearing makeup,” Jieun says, voice low.

   “U-um, yes?” Mina asks, looking between the two of them.

   “And all of _that_ ,” Areum continues, “is a hundred percent natural?”

   “Y-yeah…”

   Areum and Jieun glance at each other, the tension in the air as cold as ice.

   Then, the both of them let out jealous sighs. 

   “ _Luckyyy_ ,” they both whine, and Mina heaves out a big, big sigh, thanking the heavens that neither of them thought of murdering her.

 

“Wooh, that’s my baby girl!” Jieun applauds as Mina comes over to the couch, face burning as she hands Jieun the mic.

   “All I did was sing The Tomato Song because that’s the only song I memorized,” Mina says, face appropriately colored.

   “And you did it perfectly, my one and only,” Jieun says, placing a kiss on Mina’s cheek and sending her crumpling in her lap. “Now, it’s Areum-unnie’s turn!”

   “Oh, no, no, I could never,” Areum politely declines with a closed-mouth smile. “I prefer to watch people sing rather than sing myself.”

   “Oh, come on! Go!”

   Jieun promptly pushes Areum onto the stage and hands her the mic.

   “Sing this song, unnie! This song!” Jieun requests excitedly, buzzing in her seat.

   “W-well, if you say so,” Areum says, scrolling down the touch-screen device.

   Mina turns from where she is now somehow lying down on Jieun’s lap, watching Areum press play. _I wonder why unnie seems hesitant._

   Areum starts singing and Mina finds out why she seemed hesitant.

   Areum is completely tone-deaf.

   The silence that follows after the end of the song is heavy, and it prolonged long enough for the clerks of the norae bang place to come in and check on them, wondering why no one seemed to be singing behind the glass doors.

   “We’re mourning,” Jieun says deadpan to the employee, and the latter closes the door, looking scared beyond relief.

 

The three of them peek out of a wall of a building as an old man in his late fourties walks with a younger woman.

   “Unnie, should we really be spying on your principa—” Mina starts—

   Jieun shushes her, phone recorder already on.

   “It’s so wonderful to meet you again, my Shia,” Park Jinyoung—their principal—says, putting a loving hand on the younger woman’s shoulder. “It was rather difficult trying to make sure Inhye didn’t find out we were meeting like this.”

   “Inhye is the name of his wife—oh, he is so going down,” Jieun gushes and Areum and Mina give each other concerned looks.

   “It was, wasn’t it?” Shia giggles. “After all, you can’t separate a mother from her daughter—and she favors me so much over you.”

   “Wait, what,” Jieun deadpans.

   “I’m sure she’ll be happy to know I’m finally back after so many years! Thank you for keeping it a secret until now, Father!” Shia hugs Park Jinyoung happily.

   “ _NO_!”

   Areum and Mina frantically pull Jieun away from the scene before Park Jinyoung and, apparently, _Park_ Shia see her.

   “How did I let this happen?” Jieun yells with her hands up in the air, looking devastated. “How did I not notice the identical features, the similarity in the timbre of their voices, the fact that they _both_ have _black_ hair?”

   Mina takes care not to mention that that last one is a common occurrence in an Asian society.

   “ _WHY_ CAN’T HE JUST _HAVE_ AN _AFFAIR_?”

   Mina and Areum pat Jieun’s back as she crumbles to the ground in despair, the world having ended, nothing more left here.

 

Mina stomps away from Jieun, arms crossed and cheeks puffed, the latter trying to catch up with her.

   “Mina-yaaah, _pleeeaaase_ , it was an _accident_ ,” Jieun protests, looking devastated.

   “Oh, yeah, unnie? You said a total of four words, a total of _five_ syllables—how is that an accident?”

   “I didn’t _mean_ to say her eyes were pretty! I swear, I wasn’t flirting with her, or trying to!”

   “The first time we met, you called me pretty—are you saying that was an accident, too?”

   “Of course not! When I saw you for the first time, you were honestly the most beautiful person I ever laid my eyes on!”

   “Hmph! Nice words won’t get you anywhere, unnie!” Mina says, continuing to stomp her way away from Jieun—perhaps, forever.

   “ _Nooo_ , not forever!” Jieun says, whining. “Mina-yaaah, I’m sorry, please come back!”

   Areum just hides an amused smile behind a palm as she follows the both of them, finding the lovers’ quarrel inexplicably cute.

 

Jieun stares with a cautious expression as Mina promptly takes a big, angry bite out of her extra large strawberry crepe, complete with vanilla ice cream and wafer sticks.

   “D… does it taste good?” she asks, trying a careful voice.

   “Hmph!” Mina huffs, refusing to look at Jieun. “Doesn’t matter if you buy me all the strawberry crepes in the world, unnie—I’ll never forgive you!”

   “Now, now…” Areum says with a relaxed smile and a dismissive wave, Jieun looking devastated. “It was an honest mistake. Jieun didn’t mean to do it, right? Besides, from what I’ve heard this is a habit she’s had since long before she met you, Mina. Plus, that girl really did have pretty eyes.”

   Areum watches as Mina glances at Jieun with furrowed eyebrows and puffed cheeks, the lattermost looking to the floor like a tear-jerking story was etched onto the cement.

   Then, Mina leans into Jieun’s space, cheeks still puffed.

   “I guess I could forgive unnie just this once…” she says with her face bright red, chomping onto her crepe.

   “ _MINA-YAH_!” Jieun promptly exclaims in joy, wrapping Mina up in the tightest hug known to mankind, giving her the blushiest face in mankind, as well.

   Areum giggles to herself as she takes a bite out of her blueberry crepe. _Ah, really. Couples really are adorable_.

   She looks down at her food with a smile on her face.

    _Small steps, Areum. Small steps to lead to the place you’ve been looking for._

 

Three hours have passed since this eventful Noona Out—they had gone to the mall, the arcade, ate at about a dozen food stalls, went to the supermarket to gush about the flavors of milk (Mina is _really_ into the strawberry-flavored one)—they practically ticked everything off Jieun’s bucket list, and Jieun has so many on that list.

            She watches absentmindedly at how Areum waits at the counter of Beauteaful, the boy at the register looking awkward having to serve his co-worker on her day off. This is already the third cafe they’ve gone to in a row, which meant Areum’s third blueberry-flavored drink, Mina’s third strawberry-flavored one, and Jieun’s ninth. (What—she loves her green tea.)

   “Wahhh, I don’t think I’ve gone to so many places in one day before,” Mina is saying, head placed on the table and looking exhausted. “I might get chubby after this…”

   Jieun turns to her with a giggle, reaching over to pinch Mina’s cheek. “Good! Get as chubby as you want, bibi,” she says with a grin. “All the better to cuddle you with.”

   She places a peck on Mina’s cheek and giggles more as she shoots up from the table and starts spluttering, unable to form coherent sentences. Oh, Mina. You bundle of joy, you.

   She turns to the woman by the counter, who looks like she’s actually berating her coworker for doing what is apparently a bad job. Jieun wouldn’t know—she’s never worked a part-time job at a cafe before. All she knows is how to kick convenience store managers in the balls and farm work. Those oranges don’t just pick themselves, you know.

   “Areum-unnie’s a really amazing person, though, isn’t she?” Mina says off-handedly and Jieun glances to see her looking at the counter as well. “She’s so refined, and elegant, and really mature. Like, you can rely on her for anything because she’s so… up there, you know? Like she’s on a level above us.”

   “Yeah, unnie really does have an air of queenly grace surrounding her, doesn’t she,” Jieun agrees. “Jae is honestly so lucky.”

   “Still, it’s a bit sad to see her look sad around us…”

   Jieun turns to Mina with a raised eyebrow. “Sad?” she asks. “What do you mean?”

   “Didn’t you notice, unnie?” Mina asks with a tilt of the head. “Whenever you and I interact like how couples do, Areum-unnie gets this really melancholic look to her face. Like… like she’s not _sad_ sad but there’s still a pang of it. She tells us she finds us cute and I’m sure she’s not lying, but it feels like she’s a tiny bit jealous, too.

   “Unnie is really kind and selfless to invite us over for this Noona Out, even though seeing us be so openly into each other might hurt her a bit. And she’s really strong, too, that she’s able to hide it from her friends so well.”

   Jieun stares at Mina for a while.

   “How did you find that out, Mina-yah?” she asks.

   Mina looks down for a bit.

   “I’ve liked someone for five months thinking that I would never meet them again,” she says with a small smile. “I know the feeling of longing and loneliness well.”

   Jieun rests her head on Mina’s shoulder and intertwines their fingers together, looking down a bit on the floor.

   “I could ask Jae to always be around me whenever I go out,” she says, and she can feel Mina’s confusion at the seemingly sudden subject change.

   “You know…” Jieun continues, “so he could make sure I don’t end up accidentally flirting with another girl. He’s pretty good at dragging me away before they can even get a chance to speak to me again.”

   She hears Mina let out a breath of laughter and feels lips press onto her head.

   “Yeah, I know, unnie,” she says. “He pulled you away before I could even talk to you for the first time.”

   Jieun looks up at Mina at that, a grin now playing on her lips, before leaning in and giving her a kiss on the lips, feeling the warmth on her skin.

    _Snap!_

   The two of them whip their heads to see a phone camera directed at them, a set of long, elegant fingers wrapped around the device.

   The phone is lowered and what greets them is an amused smile.

   “You two really are cute,” Areum says, giggling a little. The blueberry cheesecake and green tea cake she and Jieun additionally ordered are on the table.

   Jieun and Mina just turn to each other and share a look, the remnants of their conversation still in the back of their minds. Then, they nod at each other once.

   “We could always be cuter, unnie!” Mina says, moving up from where she sits.

   “And frankly, we can take a better picture than that,” Jieun says, coming over to grab Areum’s phone.

   Areum looks between the two alternately, wondering what on Earth they are doing moving their seats next to her, but then Jieun is putting the phone up in the air.

   “To the love we’re all waiting on for two years to come!” Jieun says with a giggle before pressing the button.

   And Jieun and Mina lean in to each press a kiss on either of Areum’s cheeks, capturing the woman in the middle of blushy, grinny giggle.

    _Snap!_

 

The sky overhead is painted a bleeding red, orange and yellow dripping down from it as the sun slowly lies down to sleep. Cars and people pass by the streets Mina is familiar with, and she digs her hands into her pockets deeper, feeling the shiver of the cold run down her spine.

   “How are you not freezing, unnie?” she asks Jieun, who looks like she’s taking a summer stroll with her thinly layered clothes.

   “I have a cold heart.” Jieun shrugs with a grin before draping an arm around Mina’s shoulders. “Though, luckily, I have a hot body. Both figuratively and literally.”

   “Well, unnie would be right about that,” Mina mumbles.

   “What was that?”

   “Nothing, unnie. I like you very much.”

   Jieun grins at that before placing a kiss on Mina’s forehead. They continue to walk on, slowly, not wanting this moment to end so soon.

   Their Noona Out had ended around thirty minutes earlier, when Areum spotted her coworker—the one who had been serving her with an awkward stance and a deadpan face—trying to haul in a very loud woman, who looked drunk beyond belief. When she spotted Areum she yelled out, “Areum-ah! Did you know we have a new coworker named Dahye? She’s so funny, Areum-ah—you should meet her!”

   “Dahye’s been working with us for six months now; what on Earth did Yongsun drink…” Areum muttered to herself. “She didn’t accidentally switch her coffee with Hyojung’s again, did she? I told her to stop putting alcohol in her coffee…”

   And so, with nothing else except Jieun and Mina’s moral obligation to never exclude Areum from a Noona Out ever because she is just That Precious, Jieun walked Mina home, as was the condition set by her parents for letting her go out today. Thank you to the stars that haven’t come out into the sky yet because if Mina came home at night, her parents might actually die.

   “Was it fun today?” Jieun asks Mina now, sending her a smile that has her heart ghosting pink.

   “Yeah, unnie, it really, really was,” Mina says with a shy smile, looking down at her hands, fingers interlaced with each other, a bit nervous. “I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun before. I’ve always wanted to hang out with Areum-unnie.”

   “I see, I see…” Jieun says, nodding and looking a little sullen.

   Mina laughs a little bit. _Unnie really is easy to read_.

   “And you, too, of course, Jieun-unnie,” Mina says, smile pulling up her face. “It was nice hanging out with my girlfriend like this.”

   Jieun perks up at that and promptly squeezes Mina tighter, rubbing her cheek as she so fondly does.

   “Ugh, I love how you call me your girlfriend like that; you’re the sweetest little thing in the world,” she gushes, maybe squealing to an extent. “What did I do to deserve you?”

   “You called me pretty, unnie,” Mina says. “Honestly, that was enough.”

   They find themselves faltering in their steps when they see that they’ve already arrived at Mina’s apartment, automatic glass door leading into a hallway and an elevator. Her room is the entirety of the Floor Number Five, and Mina knows the moment she presses the button by the door, her parents will bombard her with about a billion questions, not letting her rest for even one second.

   So, she pulls Jieun close to her and wraps her lips in a kiss, back pressing onto the wall. She reaches over and wraps her arms around her neck, kissing her further, fighting the embarrassed blush spreading its way onto her entire body. She keeps her eyes closed, keeps Jieun close to her, and they kiss for a few more seconds, just a few more.

   Until Mina slowly pulls away and opens her eyes to brown mixed with blue, orange mixed with pink, and violet. Violet in every shade possible.

   “Thank you for liking me back, unnie,” Mina says, making sure to keep her eyes on Jieun, never losing her for a second.

   Jieun breathes out a laughter, and Mina realizes this is the first time she’s ever seen pink taint her cheeks. And when she looks, she sees pink staining her neck, her arms, her hands. _She blushes with her entire body_ , Mina realizes.

   “I should be saying that,” Jieun says, smiling small, unlike all the other smiles she gives Mina. Or, maybe, it’s a smile reserved just for her.

   Then, she gets down on one knee and Mina promptly yelps. _We’ve only known each other for two months—isn’t it too early for this?_

   “Don’t worry; I’m not gonna ask you to marry me until we both have stable sources of income,” Jieun says, and Mina sighs, thanking the stars. (Later, she will realize the implications of that and start panicking all over again.)

   She takes Mina’s hand, takes something from her pocket, and puts it in the center of her palm.

   It’s a pair of hair clips, but not the ones Jieun gave her before on their first date. Instead of a heart and a diamond, it’s a pair of butterflies. And instead of pink and blue, it’s colored violet.

   Violet.

   “I wanted to give you the old ones,” Jieun starts, “but then I realized they might remind you of a really bad memory. I mean, for me they do, and I threw them away because I didn’t want to think about how much I hurt you, then. You told me to stop thinking about that, so I’m doing my best in starting to.

            “And with these, I hope to start anew with you. Like, _really_ anew. Really, _really_ anew. I want this gift to be something that reminds you of a good memory you’d wanna look back on in the future. Something you can feel happy about when you wear it—something that reminds you of me, but the parts of me that make you smile, not cry.”

            Jieun looks up at her, sincerity defining her eyes.

   She says, “from this day on, I will do my best to make sure to like you—and love you—in a way that you deserve. When I like someone—when I love them—I do so until there’s no more love left in me, and I want you to have all of that. I don’t want you to have anything less. And I will dote on you, and care for you, and do everything that will make you happy.

   “If I don’t do any of that, feel free to hit me over the head.”

   Mina bursts into laughter, finding that last statement ridiculous.

   “Unnie, you really are something,” she says, a grin pulling up her face.

   Jieun places a kiss on Mina’s hand and smiles up at her.

   “You’re something more.”

   Mina crouches down as well, putting her on the same level as Jieun. She leans in and places a peck on her lips, placing a hand on her cheek.

   “Love is done by two people, unnie,” she says when she pulls away. “I like you, you like me, and we like us.”

   It’s only the beginning, really. It’s only been two months. But Jieun is someone she’s liked for five months, and now that she’s getting to know her better, she really feels like it can turn into love.

   Jieun kisses her as well and she moves to place the hair clips in Mina’s hair, one on her right, the other on her left.

   Now, she can see things a bit clearer than before.

   “Good evening, Mina-yah,” she says. “I’ll text you when I get home.”

   “Good evening, unnie,” Mina says. “Please do.”

 

Mina stands nervous in front of her door, fidgeting and self-consciously touching the new clips in her hair. She rehearses all the responses in her head, making sure to word it in a way that it doesn’t seem like she did something illegal (she didn’t, but her parents have this tendency to make a hyperbole out of every situation) and takes a deep breath.

   One, two, three. Four, five, six.

   Mina lets out a breath and presses onto the doorbell.

    _“Oh! Mina! You’re finally here_.”

   Mina braces herself as she hears the door unlock, the radio-like voice of her mother coming almost instantly from the speaker. _This is it. They’re gonna ask a million questions._

   The door opens and she sees a smile greet her, courtesy of the old woman in front of her.

   “I’m glad you got home safe, dear,” her mother says before beckoning her inside. “Come on, now; it’s cold. We prepared dinner.”

   Mina blinks for a few seconds. Normally, her mother would already ask her maybe three questions minimum before letting her inside. _Did something happen?_

   Mina enters her home and locks the door behind her, switching her boots with a pair of indoor slippers. She follows her mother inside after hanging her coat, seeing her father already seated by the table.

   “Good evening, Daddy,” she greets him, a little bit cautiously, wondering when the questions will arrive.

   “Good evening, sweetie,” he tells her with a nod. “Did you have fun at your outing today?”

   “Huh? Oh, yes, I did.” _Here it is—_

 _“_ That’s good to hear,” he says. “I’m glad you got home before dark. Those hairclips suit you.”

   “O-oh… Th-thank you…”

   Mina looks between the two of them repeatedly, a little bit confused with the way they’re acting. Her mother is fixing something up in the kitchen. Her father is scrolling through his tablet for something at work. Neither of them is asking any more than, “Did you have fun?” and “Did you get home safe?”

   Then, Mina realizes. And a smile pulls up her face.

   “You know, Mommy and Daddy,” she starts as she goes over to the sink to wash her hands, “I wasn’t able to tell you but the other person I was hanging out with today was Go Areum-unnie.”

   “Oh?” her mother says. “Areum?”

   “Mm-hm,” Mina affirms, wiping her hands with a towel. “She’s four years older than me and she works at a cafe in the business district. I think she’s taking up business administration. We met through Jieun-unnie.”

   “Is that so…” her father says.

   “Mm-hm.” Mina goes over to the table. “She’s a really elegant person, if you meet her. And she’s really cool, too. We went to the arcade today and she was the only one who went past the hardest level in this game. And when we went to her cafe, she watched over her coworkers even though it was her day off.”

   “Well, that’s very responsible of her…”

   “Yeap. I had a really fun time with her. And Jieun-unnie, too, of course. The entire day she was watching over me and making sure I was with her at all times. Sometimes, she kept looking around for me when she thought she lost me, but I was literally right next to her holding her hand.”

   “Isn’t that sweet…”

   “It was. She even walked me home, you know. She gifted me these clips. And she wouldn’t leave the apartment until she saw I already went up the elevator.

   “It was really fun today, Mommy and Daddy. I’m happy I went out.”

   Mina smiles to herself as she takes a seat, watching her parents share a look. When they do, she can see them let out silent sighs of relief, though they try their best not to show it. But Mina can read people easily, and Mina can see everything.

   “Well, it’s nice to hear that, sweetie,” her mother says, coming over with a pot from the gas range. “Come, let’s eat dinner. Daddy’s been restless—it’s his favorite after all.”

   “I was not restless,” her father says simply, though Mina can see how his eyes follow the pot like he hasn’t eaten in ages.

   “Mm-hm. And I wasn’t the one who proposed to you because you were too nervous thinking about the ‘perfect moment’.”

   “Will you stop referencing that.”

   “While we still wear our wedding rings, no.”

   Mina smiles to herself as her parents continue on like this, dinner starting off in a good way. It’s really because of them that Mina has a good opinion of love, despite having her heart broken the worst way possible. When you grow up surrounded by love, what else is there to think of it?

   “Okay, okay, enough of that, Mommy and Daddy,” Mina says, silencing them. “Let’s eat dinner, already. I’m starving.”

   Her parents let breaths of laughter slip out of their lips.

   “You’re right. Let’s eat!”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- so many rewrites. so. many. rewrites.  
> \- also i know the title is kinda stupid but hear me out: i have feelings
> 
> Special thank you to our beta Jessica ([@KIMDONGHANS](https://twitter.com/KlMDONGHANS) on twt) for beta-reading the rest of WSLY!! It wouldn't have been as great without you in it :').
> 
> Thank you for reading this little thing of mine, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!
> 
> twitter: [@raikayyylmao](https://twitter.com/raikayyylmao)  
> curiouscat: [@raikayyylmao](https://curiouscat.me/raikayyylmao)  
> hellopoetry: [@ruqiruqi](https://hellopoetry.com/ruqiruqi/)


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